Yes, Master
by Annibelle White
Summary: Elphaba was left on the steps of a mauntery as a baby with nothing but a green bottle and a name. When she reaches sixteen and chooses not to become a maunt, she is sent to work for a royal family in the Vinkus as a servant and schoolmarm.
1. Chapter 1: New Beginnings

AN: Okay guys, I just thought of this idea I really liked. But it REALLY changes things. If you change Elphaba's entire past, is she still Elphaba? Because that's essentially what I'm doing. I do think she'd still be Elphaba. She was trying to bite fingers off before she could talk or understand anything.

What I like about this idea is that it will really change the dynamics between Elphaba and Fiyero. Elphaba is usually the one in charge, I've noticed, but because of the way the two will meet in this story, that's not the case (at least not at the start). Because of this history, though, there is no Nessarose, at least not in the usual sense (not sure if she'll appear later or not). There may not be a Shiz. I've seen other stories take place before Shiz or without Shiz, but I think you all know I've never written like this. So we'll see how this works. I won't explain the idea any further – it should become clear.

Also, I've decided to try and stay dominant in one third-person viewpoint (for now the only two are Fiyero and Elphaba) in each chapter/section. The first chapter is split between the two. The rest may or may not be. You'll see a break in the chapter if I'm changing.

Oh, and insert the usual apology for starting a new story while I still have others that aren't done

**Chapter One: New Beginnings**

She supposed she knew it was coming. When Mother Yackle sat Elphaba down in her chambers, it shouldn't have surprised her at all. If she wasn't to become a maunt, she very well couldn't stay at the mauntery forever, could she?

"Miss Elphaba, you are about sixteen now." The old woman's yellow teeth glistened as she spoke.

"I guess," Elphaba shrugged. The note left with her on the mauntery doorstep hadn't given her a birthdate, only a name. But she'd been there almost sixteen years, so it stood to reason that was her age.

"And you clearly have no intention of joining the faith." This was more of a statement than a question.

"I don't." Elphaba was nothing but respectful towards the maunts' prayers and gods (after all, they took her in), but she did not take those beliefs as her own. The concept seemed silly to her. And devoting her entire life to something that wasn't even real felt wrong.

"Then it's time you leave the mauntery, my dear."

Elphaba took a deep breath. "I understand."

"But do not worry. We have found a place for you to stay and earn your keep. It does require quite a bit of travel. But with the turmoil in the City, a servant girl in the Vinkus would fare much better than a homeless girl wandering the streets."

"A servant?"

"Yes, to the royal family of the Arjiki tribe in the Vinkus. They need someone to help in the kitchen, and they want educated servants to work with their children."

Elphaba bit her lip.

"You've had plenty of education here. We've given you that. And you've read every book that you could get your hands on. You could at least work with the younger children on basic arithmetic and reading, and earn your keep in the kitchen when you're not busy. The schoolmarm they had previously passed away of old age, poor thing."

Elphaba was not fond of children. They looked at her as if they were afraid of her – some of them were. But she had nowhere else to go. Wandering the City had never been a good idea to begin with, but in these times, it was an even worse one. "I see." If it had been one of the other maunts telling her this, she may have talked back and fought. But she'd learned never to argue with Mother Yackle. Perhaps that's why they sent the old woman to break the news to her.

"The caravan leaves tomorrow. Most of the others are refugees going further than you – leaving Oz, even. They won't make the best company, but you've always kept to yourself anyway. I'll leave you to give you time to pack your things and say any goodbyes you may wish to." With that, the old woman hobbled out of the room.

Elphaba stood up and went to the window. Pollution fogged at the broken glass and litter cluttered the streets outside the rundown building she had spent her life. She certainly wouldn't miss the view.

She took a box out from underneath her bed – everything she owned. Three dresses. One blouse. One skirt. Undergarments. Several old books. And a bottle that she had been holding when they'd found her in the doorway. It was green and read "Elixir." Elphaba tossed all of that into a burlap sack. She was done packing. And she had no goodbyes to say.

That night she lay awake. She didn't particularly like it at the mauntery, but she was smart enough to know that she was lucky. She'd seen the homeless that came in off the streets. She'd seen some of the families living in rundown shacks. True, it didn't sound like she'd be encountering any of that, but how was she to know if where she was going was better or worse than here? Elphaba sighed and rolled over, trying to ignore the sound of Mother Yackle's snoring from three beds over.

* * *

><p>They had sent the old woman's remains back to her family (the only family she had left, a niece) in Munchkinland. Fiyero had never much liked the woman, but she had taught him well, and so he mourned her passing. He didn't have anything left to learn. Of course, he had to study for his entrance exam to Shiz in a year, but other than that, he was free from daily lessons, schoolmarm or no.<p>

He sat in his room several days later when his father knocked. "Son?"

"What is it?" Fiyero sat up straighter.

"Nothing, really. I'm just checking on my oldest son."

Fiyero was by far the oldest. After he'd been born his mother had a series of miscarriages. At sixteen, he was six years older than his eldest sibling. "Really?" He knew there was more to it than that.

"Now that you've finished all your schooling, you should learn other things that aren't in books. I'd like it if you'd shadow me around the castle for two or three hours each day. And you need to learn to fight. As much as I hope that war doesn't break out among the tribes again, there is no guarantee."

Fiyero nodded.

"And to hunt."

Fiyero sighed. He wasn't fond of hunting. Fighting made sense – the person on the other side knew what they were doing. But animals… still, it was important for him to learn. "Yes."

"And Fiyero, I'm a little concerned about something." His father sat down beside him.

Fiyero raised his eyebrows. "What?"

"You don't seem to be very interested in a lot of girls."

"Why should I be? I have to marry Sarima. There's no point in looking at other girls."

Fiyero's father chuckled. "You have four years before you marry her. Most men have a little fun before they are wed."

"Oh. But isn't that unfair?"

"Not really. There are dozens of girls who would love to have even kissed you, whether or not you're promised to be married. You are the crown prince. I've seen some of the servant girls staring after you now that you've started to grow into yourself."

Some of the servant girls were pretty, but there was nothing going on in their heads. Fiyero realized his father wasn't telling him to pay any attention to the content of their thoughts, but he couldn't see a girl as attractive without a real personality. All the servant girls ever did was serve him whatever he wished and agree with everything he said, saying what they thought would please him. Of course the physical aspect interested him – he was a sixteen-year-old male, for Oz's sake. But to him, the complications that would arise from all of that weren't worth it to be with some silly servant. "I guess I haven't been paying much attention. I was focused on my studies."

"I realize that. But you'll have a little more time to lounge around the castle and appreciate the… surroundings."

"I'll take a look around," Fiyero said mechanically.

"I had a little fun myself before I wed your mother."

"That's nice, Father," Fiyero said with finality. He did not want that conversation going any further.

"Well, dinner is about ready. Your mother will kill both of us if we're not down there soon. I'll see you in a few moments."

Fiyero watched his dad walk out the door. He wasn't exactly sure what he should do about his father's suggestion. He hoped his future wife had more brains than the servant girls…


	2. Chapter 2: First Impressions

**Chapter Two: First Impressions**

The journey took two weeks. Elphaba found her voice raspy from lack of use – she had barely spoken the entire ride. By the time she was dropped at the edge of the castle grounds with nothing but a small bag and a note from Mother Yackle, she was surprised she hadn't forgotten how to speak. The people walking the grounds looked as different from munchkins as she was. Their skin was a deep ochre, and they had strange shapes tattooed everywhere. She'd heard that people from the Vinkus were different, but she'd never realized how different. What would they make of her strange skin? Would they even know it was an aberration or would they assume that she was from some part of Oz where everyone was green?

As she reached the doorway, she looked up at the castle. It wasn't exactly a nice castle. Vines were growing all over it and the walls were made of plain, ugly dark grey stone. It looked… cold. Which was a contrast to the weather. It was hot and dry. A cold castle would be a relief. Swallowing hard, she knocked on the large wooden door.

A middle-aged man dressed in peasant's clothes answered the door – clearly the butler or something like it. He did not speak to her, just looked at her expectantly.

Elphaba thrust out the note she had been carrying. "I'm to work here, I believe."

"Ah. The mistress said you'd be coming. Please come in."

She followed the man into the castle. The walls inside looked as cold and dreary as the ones outside. The furniture was either stone or wood, as well. He motioned for her to take a seat the main hallway. There were stairs to her left and another hallway in front of her. The butler (or whatever he was) left – presumably to give Mother Yackle's note to his mistress. Elphaba sat with her hands in her lap and waited.

She heard someone coming down the stairs. It couldn't be the queen, right? The butler had gone the other way to get her. Elphaba bit her lip and looked at the shadow that descended the stairs.

A young man appeared. He looked to be about her age, though he was like no one she had ever seen (she hadn't interacted with a lot of men in general, being in a mauntery). The pattern tattooed on his skin was of blue diamonds. His eyes glowed as sapphire as the markings on his skin. He looked at her questioningly. "Excuse me… um," he looked as though he was trying to find the right words, "who are you?"

That was blunt. "I was sent from the City to teach some children." Elphaba answered curtly.

"I figured as much. We knew you were coming. I meant to ask your name."

She didn't know why he cared. "Elphaba."

He approached the chair she sat in and held out his hand. She didn't take it. He pulled it back after a moment. "Well, welcome to Kiamo Ko. My name is Fiyero."

Elphaba merely nodded.

"I suppose you're wondering who I am."

"Not really."

Her answer seemed to have surprised him. "Oh."

"It's obvious enough from the way you're dressed that you're a member of the royal family and not a servant. That's all I care to know." Elphaba said simply.

The young man stood with his mouth open for a moment, the realized himself and shut it. "Well, then. Does my mother know you're here?"

"The man who answered the door went to tell her."

"Good. I know you don't care, but I'm Crown Prince Fiyero, the eldest son. You'll be teaching my younger siblings."

Elphaba shrugged.

"No offense, but you seem a bit young to be a schoolmarm."

"That's your opinion." This Fiyero was trying to get her to talk about herself. She wasn't going to do that. Why did he bother asking?

At that moment, the man who had answered the door came back with a woman in her late thirties, dressed in velvet and silks. She had silver half-moons on her skin. Elphaba wondered if she was going to be expected to bow. They'd have to ask her to, if that was the case.

"Fiyero, what are you doing down here?"

"I was on my way to the kitchen for a snack when I saw our, uh, guest. I was just introducing myself to her."

"Of course." The queen turned to Elphaba. "Hello…" she looked at the note, "Elphaba, is it?"

"Yes."

"Yes _ma'am_." The butler corrected immediately.

Elphaba tried not to roll her eyes, bit the inside of her cheek and said, "Yes, _ma'am_."

"I see you've already met my son Fiyero. You won't be teaching him much. He may need your assistance occasionally as he studies for the Shiz entrance exam."

Elphaba had heard of Shiz. It was the only university in Oz that took woman. That had started last year. It had some of the maunts in a tizzy discussing how such an idea could only promote "fornication" and other such sins. Secretly, she had dreamed of going there and learning more. She had learned much from the maunts, of course, but there are plenty of things one doesn't lean in a mauntery. Science had been skimmed over, for example. She tried to ignore the slight jealousy she felt that this cocky young man would be going to Shiz. "I see."

"Mostly you will be dealing with my young ones. I'll introduce them to you later. You should get settled." The woman eyed Elphaba's meager bag condescendingly, sighed and turned to the butler. "Marin, show her to her room."

"I'll do it, Mother."

The queen gave her son a strange look but shrugged. "If it pleases you to go around doing the servants work, I won't stop you." She left the room and Marin trailed after her.

Elphaba was left alone with Fiyero again. She looked at him and raised her eyebrows. He was staring at her.

"Oh, right!" His face flushed. "This way." He headed back up the stairs slowly, waiting for her to follow.

She sighed and mounted the stairs after him.

"So you're from the City?" He asked.

Did he not get that she was not interested in socializing? No wonder all the maunts had sworn off men. Clearly they were stupid. "Yes."

"And…?"

"And what?" Elphaba knew exactly "and what" he wanted, but she wasn't going to open up without a fight.

"And what was your life like in the City? Where in the City were you?"

"A mauntery."

"Are you a…?"

"No." Elphaba almost laughed at the concept of her being a maunt. She might grow to be an old spinster, but she wouldn't be a religious one.

"I didn't think so." He stopped in the doorway of a small room (though it was larger than the one the Maunt Superior had in the mauntery). "This is yours."

"Thank you," Elphaba said.

He stood in the doorway for a moment looking at her.

Was it appropriate to ask the Crown Prince why he was still standing in her doorway? Or did she have to put up with this obnoxious behavior? "Um, I think I'll unpack now."

"Oh, yes, of course." He made to leave. "My room is down the next hall to the left if you need anything."

"I won't, not from you," she muttered under her breath as he left the room. She put her bag down on her bed and hung up her few clothes. She put the green bottle into a drawer in the table near her bed. She put some of her undergarments on top of it. It wasn't as though she thought anyone would steal it – she just didn't need the questions. Where had it come from? What was the "elixir"? Who had left it with her? She didn't know herself.

Elphaba saw that she had a small window seat. She climbed into it and glanced out the window at the hot, dry Vinkun land. The environment seemed nice. But the people? The maunts had never pestered her this much. She supposed it was how people behaved outside the mauntery walls. She'd been out a few times in the City, but she'd rarely spoken to anyone. People had stared at her rather than say anything to her. No one had cared about her or about her history – no one but her. Maybe Fiyero had meant well. She didn't know. Nor did she care.


	3. Chapter 3: Prince and the Pauper

AN: Wow, it's always nice after I start a new story to see the flurry of "favorites" and "alerts" that come up. And yes, those of you who were concerned, I do still plan to work on "Forced Love". Along with that, I have had thoughts about continuing two of the others, but I won't make promises until I've actually written something.

**Chapter Three: Prince and the Pauper**

Fiyero headed back down the stairs to grab the snack he'd initially wanted to before he had run into that… exotic… new schoolmarm. He hadn't known that green was a skin color. Not that it didn't look good, it just hadn't ever occurred to him. And women in the Vinkus didn't have hair that long – it was never longer than the shoulders. But he'd glimpsed Elphaba's braid and it went down almost to her hips! She was… interesting.

He wanted to know about her. Really, it was mere curiosity. What else could it be? He met so few people from outside the Vinkus. But she didn't seem willing to talk. He wondered what he'd said that had so offended her. Perhaps he should have asked? Maybe he would ask next time her saw her. His siblings had lessons the next morning. He just might sit in on them to see what this new girl had to teach. He had meant it when he said she did look too young to be a schoolmarm. She couldn't be any older than him.

The next morning he offered to escort his brother and sister to the school room (attached to their small library) after breakfast. Elphaba was reading a book when they entered and she looked up. She was surprised when she saw him, but smiled hesitantly at his siblings. "Revienna and Berniel, right?"

"Yes, Miss Elphaba." Revienna replied. She was tall for ten years, but Elphaba was taller and Fiyero taller still. She seemed to shrink in front of the new schoolmarm.

"Prince Fiyero," Elphaba said, clearly strained, "I thought you were done with your learning?"

"I wanted to observe."

He could tell she wanted to refuse, but he also knew she wouldn't. Instead she clenched her jaw and forced a smile. "As you wish, Prince Fiyero."

"You don't need to call me that. Just Fiyero would be fine, Elphaba."

"I prefer the 'Miss,' _Prince _Fiyero."

No one had ever spoken to him this way before outside of his family. She wasn't being directly rude, but it was clear she did not revere him the way the other servants did. Even the head chef and the previous schoolmarm had called him "sir" or "master," respectfully. But he didn't lecture her for it. He'd never been one to try to discipline the servants. They deserved some respect, too. But this would clearly have been out of bounds if it had been his mother or father she'd been talking to. And something about that made him smile. "Maybe once you've gotten to know me."

"I need to get to know these two right now. They're the ones I'm teaching." Elphaba looked at his siblings and gave them a forced smile. "Sit down, please." When they did, she sat beside them. "Now, I have no idea what the previous schoolmarm taught you or where she left off, so I wanted to talk to you two. What were you reading?"

Revienna handed Elphaba a book. She paged through it. Berniel handed her a children's book. Elphaba glanced at it. Fiyero watched with interest.

After a moment, Elphaba looked back at the children. "What about mathematics?"

"I was learning multiplication," Revienna said proudly. "And Berniel was just on addition."

"I see. And history?"

"We were discussing the third Ozma regent."

"Science?"

"We were talking about plants and animals."

Elphaba nodded and began to look through the books on the bookshelf. "I think maybe we should discuss modern history. What good will it do you to know what happened before if you have no clue what's going on now?"

"Miss Elphaba has a good point," Fiyero opined.

Elphaba glared at him. "Prince Fiyero, it is perfectly fine that you observe, but it would be helpful if you didn't speak too much, as it would distract your siblings from their studies."

"I apologize." He didn't mean it.

"Anyway, you all know that there is no Ozma regent anymore, right?"

The two children nodded.

"Who is our leader now?"

"The Wizard!" Berniel exclaimed.

"Yes. Now, he appeared many years ago, about the time I was born."

"Sixteen years, to be exact. And he appeared in a balloon." Fiyero added.

Elphaba seemed surprised for a moment that he knew these details, but she bit her tongue, folded her arms across her chest and sighed heavily. "Prince Fiyero…"

"I'm just… helping."

"If you're so good at teaching, why am I even needed here?" She retorted.

Fiyero was quiet for the rest of the lesson. When it was over, he tried to talk to her. "Miss Elphaba, I really am sorry for interrupting you."

"I have to get to the kitchen…" She tried to get around him.

He moved so that she couldn't. "I'm sure you can spare a few moments."

"What do you want from me?" She put her hands on her hips.

"I got the impression yesterday that I offended you in some way. I just wanted to ask what it was that I did and apologize for it."

"You didn't do anything. I just don't want to talk to you. Why is that so hard for you to comprehend? Perhaps the other servant girls swoon over you – I've seen them. I won't. Is that your problem?"

"I'm just curious!" Now Fiyero was the one who felt offended. She must think him extremely vain. "I don't care who or who does not 'swoon' over me. I do not have any interest in their swooning. I haven't met many people from outside the tribe. I just wanted to know what life was like outside the Vinkus. I'm sorry if that so offends you!" Fiyero snapped and walked away.

Perhaps he had been a little hotheaded in doing that, but he hadn't appreciated the way she had implied that all he cared about was girls swooning over him. For Oz's sake, all he'd done was try to be friendly! He watched from down the hallway as Elphaba exited the room and headed down towards the kitchens to help with lunch. He hadn't meant to snap at her, although it wasn't as if she didn't deserve it the slightest bit.

After lunch, he sat in his room. Revienna was working on sewing with their mother and Berniel was working on art on his own – he seemed to have quite a knack for it. When he heard a knock and looked at the doorway, he was quite surprised. "Elphaba?"

"_Miss_ Elphaba."

"Miss Elphaba. Whatever. What is it?"

"I wanted to apologize. Even if I wasn't keen on talking to you, I didn't have to be so rude. And you are technically," she swallowed hard and seemed to struggle with the words, "my master along with your parents."

"Please don't refer to me like that."

"Is it not true?"

"I don't like the term. And I don't like the idea that I'm so high above everyone else here. No one bothers to talk to me much for that very reason."

For a moment her face almost betrayed a hint of sympathy, but only for a moment. "Well, anyway, I just wanted to apologize. I have to prepare for your siblings' afternoon lessons." She left without another word.

"Wait…" He called after her. She didn't come back. He sighed. Maybe she would've talked to him. He thought about "observing" afternoon lessons, but maybe the best thing would be to back off for the day. Just the day. Her reluctance to talk only made him more curious, and her attitude only made him like her the better. What sort of contradiction was that?

Fiyero saw her later when the servants served dinner, but he didn't bother her – especially not in front of his parents. For some reason, talking to her seemed wrong in front of them. Like talking to her was forbidden. The interest he had in her was not exactly the sort of interest his father had hoped to be seeing, although she was stunning. He had to get her to talk to him. He had to.


	4. Chapter 4: Quid Pro Quo

AN: I was going to wait before posting this chapter, but I needed to ask something as soon as possible. I am looking for someone to do me the honor of being my beta on this. I need someone to read through and make sure everything fits and that I'm not breaking character too much. You should be aware, however, that sometimes I can pound out a couple chapters a day. Other times it'll be a week or two before chapters. Right now I'm on a fast track, but I might not always be.  
>Also, I post a lot in the beginning of every story, and then eventually slow down somewhere towards the middle. I have a sort of plan for this story, and I really like it, but I'm actually not sure how it'll end. I'd like to share that with my beta as well. Any takers? PM me. <p>

**Chapter Four: Quid Pro Quo**

Elphaba thought maybe the prince would leave her alone. He didn't bother her for the rest of the week. He did not sit in on lessons. He did not hunt her down in the hallways. He didn't stare at her at meals. All she had wanted was to be left alone, although it was very quiet around the castle. Though they preached against it, the maunts had all gossiped and chattered constantly.

Her quiet did not last long. The first day of the weekend when she had a little time to herself, she took a book from the library, figuring as the schoolmarm it would only make sense for her to read, and settled down on her bed to read when a tall figure appeared in her doorway. She absolutely hated being interrupted when she read. She sighed. "Prince Fiyero, what are you doing here?"

He seemed to take that as an invitation and stepped into the room. Did she have the right to send him away? This was _his_ castle. Well, it was his parents' castle, but he was the crown prince… He sat down in a chair near the wall. "Miss Elphaba, I know you told me you don't want to talk, but what if you thought about it as teaching me? I want to learn what life is like outside of Oz."

She bit the inside of her cheek. He certainly was creative in trying to get her to talk. And it had been so quiet. Ten and five-year-olds weren't exactly good conversation. The prince seemed intelligent enough. She relented a little. "If that's what you wish, Prince Fiyero."

"You said you were from the City. What is it like there?" He leaned in towards her, eager.

"Well, I didn't go out much. The maunts did send me on errands, though. Many of them wouldn't leave at all. But the City… it's dirty – at least the part I was in. There were homeless people and poor families. It was more grey than emerald."

"It must have been tough to see."

She shrugged.

"What is it like in a mauntery?"

"Loud. The maunts talk and talk and talk. They may be good in their actions, but the things they say seem to contradict their behavior. The food was not as… spicy as it is out here. It was very plain. They prayed five times a day. Once before each meal and once between breakfast and lunch and lunch and dinner."

"Did you pray, too?"

"No."

"If you weren't religious, what were you doing in a mauntery?"

"That's a bit personal, Prince Fiyero." She said immediately. He was trying to ease her into talking about herself. It was obvious enough.

"You were an orphan." He stated.

She sighed. He wouldn't give up, would he? "Basically."

"How long were you at the mauntery?"

"As long as I can remember."

"So how did you become so well read?"

"The mauntery had many books that were donated. And some of the maunts weren't maunts when they were younger, and they had knowledge to share." Elphaba dropped her gaze. His eyes were too focused on her for her liking. "That's really all I can tell you about being outside of the Vinkus," she said with finality.

"Can you at least tell me _why_ you don't want to talk at all?"

Why wouldn't he just drop it? "Prince Fiyero, I am not one for talking and have never been. And you are a prince. I am a servant. I don't see why you are so eager to talk to me in the first place."

"I told you. I want to know what life is like outside the Vinkus."

"And I told you."

"Fine. You are interesting to me. I am curious. Maybe I'm nosy. You live in this castle. So do I. I just want to know about you."

"Do you interrogate all the servants?"

"Only the ones I find interesting."

She had a feeling she was the only one he found interesting. "I'm afraid you'll find me dreadfully boring, Prince Fiyero. I grew up in a mauntery. There's not much scandal that can come from that."

"You're the only person who's at the same level intelligence-wise as I am, if not higher. Perhaps I want intelligent conversation."

"I don't consider intelligent conversation to be asking personal questions."

"I'm just trying to get to know you."

"Well, what about you, then, Prince Fiyero? I don't know anything about you. Why should I tell you anything?" She realized after she said it that it wasn't the smartest thing to say. Now he'd never stop talking to her. Elphaba had meant to turn the tables on him, and she had, but now she'd have to listen to him.

"What do you want to know about me?"

"Nothing. But since you insist on asking _me_ questions…"

He laughed. "Okay, well, then I'll think of something to tell you. I'm sixteen, the same as you, from what I gathered. I'm to be King, but you know that. You know I'm to go to Shiz in the fall."

"Lucky you," she muttered.

He raised his eyebrows. "Jealous?"

"I just like learning," she said evasively.

"I can tell. Well, what else can I tell you? I'm engaged to be married."

"To whom?"

"Her name is Sarima. That's about all I know."

Elphaba raised her eyebrows. She had never understood the idea of marriage. Maybe that came from living in a mauntery. "It was arranged?"

"Yes."

While she thought marriage was strange, arranged marriage seemed just stupid. If someone was stupid enough to fall in love and get married, shouldn't they at least be able to make that decision for themselves? She shook her head. It wasn't a custom she respected at all. It wasn't like it ever worked out well. People had affairs; she knew that much – living in a mauntery did not make her naïve. And that was their prerogative. If someone was married and wanted to be with someone else, let them. Marriage was a ridiculous custom, especially arranged marriage. "Well, when is that to happen? Is she going to Shiz with you?"

"Of course not. It's not to happen until I'm twenty."

"What do you mean 'of course not?' Are women not allowed to learn?" Elphaba felt her face grow hot.

"That's not what I meant. But my family doesn't have to pay for her to learn. That's her family's job. And they can't afford it."

"Sounds like you'll have a great marriage."

"Yeah, I know." He frowned. "I'm trying not to think about it much until it actually has to happen."

"Tell your parents you don't want to."

Fiyero sighed. "Elphaba…"

"_Miss_ Elphaba, for the millionth time."

"Miss Elphaba, perhaps… how do I say this politely? You never met your parents, did you?"

She shook her head.

"Then, no offense, you don't understand what it is like. I can't simply refuse my parents. I mean, if I had really good reason, maybe, but a king has to get married, and if I have to, then why not to her?"

_Pathetic_. Elphaba thought. Maybe she didn't have parents, but even if she did, she wouldn't let them make such decisions for her. "You're right, I don't understand. I thought a prince could do whatever he wanted."

"I can. Outside of that. If I want something else, I'm allowed to have it. No one cares. The marriage is…"

"Just a formality?"

"I guess."

He was looking at her again, and she shifted uncomfortably beneath his gaze. "Well, I think I know enough about you now. That's more than I wanted to know, anyway."

He got the message. "It was nice talking to you."

"If you say so."

Before he left, he stood in the doorway. "Miss Elphaba?"

"What?"

"I don't want you to think of me like a 'master.' I just want to talk to someone occasionally, and as much as the other servant girls may or may not 'swoon' over me, they don't talk about anything remotely interesting. But I could tell from the way you taught my siblings that you're more… aware than that. That's it. I don't mean to bother you."

Would he ever quit? "Well, Prince Fiyero, you are my 'master,' whether I like it or not. I can't just ignore that. I appreciate that you think I'm intelligent enough to talk to, but I won't be your friend. I can't."

The look in his eyes was a sad one when he turned and walked away. Elphaba took a deep breath and tried to go back to her book. She couldn't concentrate. Wouldn't it be nice to have someone her own age to talk to? She shook her head hard. No. She couldn't. She was not meant to be his friend. Unless… could he command her to be? And would she have to listen? He wouldn't do such a thing. He preferred a more irritating route to befriending her. Irritating and yet… somehow endearing. Elphaba blinked slowly. She really should get back to reading…


	5. Chapter 5: A Learning Experience

**AN: Sorry this took so long. I've been writing this a lot, but working with Jamie Jazz on some stuff. I kept meaning to upload this yesterday. I'm further ahead than this, but still ironing out details.**

**Chapter Five: A Learning Experience**

What had gotten into him? She obviously hadn't wanted to talk… though she had started to seem the slightest bit interested once he had gotten to talking. Or was he just imagining that? Was she only pretending to be even a little nice because he was a prince and she was a servant? She could never be his friend, she had said. He hadn't realized it until that point, but he had never really had a true friend, and friend who would talk to him honestly. And he wanted one now more than ever.

Just to remind her of his presence, he observed lessons again in the middle of that week. He thought maybe if he just sat silently, she'd have to talk to him. He sat in the back of the room, not even really paying attention to her. Instead, he read a book. So he didn't realize it when she dismissed his siblings and he was still sitting there.

"Prince Fiyero?" Her voice brought him back to reality.

He shook himself out of his stupor. "Oh!" Fiyero looked around and realized his siblings were gone. "I'm sorry."

"Must be an interesting book. And a long one. It looks rather heavy."

"It's about science and sorcery and how the two can work together. I thought of them more as opposites, but it's really quite a good argument. If the scientists would actually look at sorcery as a respected art and the sorcerers would deign to actually speak to the scientists, so much more could get done."

This seemed to interest her. She sat down across from him. "Really? Would you mind letting me read it when you're done?"

He thought of something. "Only if you'll discuss it with me afterwards."

She actually laughed at that, and it was almost a kind laugh. "I might need to discuss it with you to fully understand it, anyway. The maunts hated sorcery, and there were so few science books in the mauntery. I've always wanted to learn more."

He saw an opportunity here. "Then how are you to teach my siblings science?"

"I just follow the books, I guess."

"Why don't you let me teach you?"

She hesitated.

Before he could even think about what he was doing, his hand shot across the table between them and touched hers. "Please? I'd like to. If you learn science well enough, you'll be better able to teach my siblings and I want the best for them."

She stared at his hand for a moment and slowly drew hers away, as if she was unsure how to respond. "I… I don't have much time."

"You have time on weekends. We could work then."

Elphaba looked as though she were trying to think of a way out of his proposition. She couldn't find one. "If you think it's best," she said reluctantly.

"I do," he smiled at her.

She did not smile back, but stared at her lap. "I need to get to the kitchens."

"I'll see you this weekend."

She nodded. "I suppose you will."

He went to her room immediately after breakfast that Saturday. "Are you ready to learn, Miss Elphaba?" Fiyero moved to sit down in a chair.

"I… it seems strange to be learning in my small room when we have so many books and learning materials over in the library…" Elphaba stammered.

She was uncomfortable with him in her room, he realized. "You're right. Let's head over there."

She leaned over and grabbed a book off of the flimsy bedside table beside her bed. He realized how rundown her furniture was. The bedside table looked ready to fall over. The mattress had a spring sticking out towards the end and the bedding was ratty. One of the drawers of her dresser hung sideways. Should he perhaps say something to his parents? Or would that seem strange? She deserved furniture that at least functioned as it was supposed to.

When they reached the library, she moved to sit across from him at the table in the center of the room. "No, sit next to me. We're going to be looking at the same book some of the time and it'll be difficult for you to read it upside down."

"Right," she said quietly. She sat down in the chair beside him and scooted as far to the other side of it as she could.

Part of him wanted to laugh at her discomfort. Part of it made him sad. If it weren't for his status as Prince and hers as servant, would she be more comfortable with him? "First of all, I wanted to give you that book I was reading. I've finished it."

She looked surprised. "When I last saw you, you were only halfway through it and that book was a long one."

"It can't be that surprising to you that someone else in the world might like to read almost as much as you do?" He teased.

She smiled ever so slightly. "I guess not. You'll do well at Shiz."

"You would do well, too, I'm sure." He had an idea about that, but there was no way it could work… could it? He'd have to work on it. No use talking about it. "Now, when you said you hadn't learned a lot about science, what had you learned?"

She picked up on it quickly. Within two hours, they'd gone through what had been for him a year of material. He had even gotten her to laugh once or twice with a joke or two. They were already discussing the idea of Animals and animals. "I saw an Animal once in the City… well, sort of. What I saw…" She trailed off.

He looked at her curiously. It didn't sound like the story she was about to tell was pleasant, but he still wanted to know. Gently, he asked, "What did you see?"

"The Gale Force. They were beating this old Tiger…"

"The Gale Force? You mean the Wizard's army?"

She nodded and swallowed hard. "I couldn't understand what the old Tiger could have possibly done to deserve such a thing. And that wasn't the only thing I saw. I saw loads of Animals paraded through the City towards Southstairs. But if Animals are just as smart as humans, why do people discriminate against them?" She looked angry by the end of this.

"Well, these books are about fifty years old, maybe…"

"Maybe what, Fiyero?" She snapped, and he realized she hadn't put the "Prince" beforehand, "Maybe Animals suddenly got stupid after fifty years?"

"That's not what I meant. It's just hard to believe that the Wizard could be doing all of this."

"I don't know that he is. You're so lucky you'll be going to Shiz. You'll be so much closer to the news, the action! It would be so fascinating. You could find out who's behind all of this. And you could _learn_…" She trailed off and bit her lip, as if she felt she had said too much. "It doesn't matter. I can't do anything, can I?" Elphaba laughed harshly.

"But Elphaba, you're right. I can."

She looked at him and he smiled inwardly when she didn't correct him by telling him to call her Miss Elphaba. "Maybe. But the Vinkus doesn't have much power in the City, Fiyero."

He went ahead and dared to touch her again, grabbing her hand, "But this could be a refuge for the Animals."

"You'd get yourself and your people in a lot of trouble, Fiyero. The Gale Force would be out here in no time."

"You're probably right. But maybe it's not as bad as we think it is. Maybe what you saw had a reason. Like you said, I'll be closer to the action at Shiz and I can find out, at least."

It seemed as if she only realized then that he was still holding her hand. "Prince Fiyero," she said quietly, "would you please let go of my hand?" It was like watching her literally shrink back into herself.

He didn't let go. She'd come out of her shell and he wouldn't let her hide again. "Elphaba…"

She shook her head at him and tore her hand away. "What do you think you're doing?"

"I… I just…"

"Please spare me the babbling. I don't know if it's because you think that my being a servant means you can… but I won't… I don't care if I get in trouble… I can't…"

"That is not what I meant." It hadn't been, had it? Now that he thought about it, it seemed appealing. He willed the thought away.

"Then what did you mean?"

"I just got excited. That's all. We were actually having a conversation."

"We were. And then you ruined it. I need to go prepare lunch." And she fled out the door without letting him get in another word.


	6. Chapter 6: Manipulation

**Chapter Six: Manipulation**

Elphaba didn't leave her room except for kitchen duties for the rest of the day. She wished the lock on the door actually worked, but in a servant's room nothing was expected to. What if he came after her? What if he wanted more than to touch her hand? She was a servant; did that mean she'd have to obey him? Elphaba shook her head. As irritating as he was, Prince Fiyero didn't seem like the type to do such a thing. She thanked Oz for that. The maunts never would've sent her out here if they had thought she'd be expected to submit to the sexual desires of some obnoxious prince.

She realized, though, that she may have jumped to a conclusion far too quickly. In all her time in the mauntery, she had only seen the maunts touch the people they were trying to heal, and they did that even sparingly. The maunts hadn't touched her since she was old enough to walk. No one had. She jumped if someone accidentally brushed her on the street when she was running errands in the City. Perhaps in the Vinkus, customs were different. Perhaps he was only trying to be friendly. But she wasn't about to go apologize.

It was a shame, really. He had been right. They had been having a good conversation, for all of five minutes. For all their gossiping, the maunts refused to talk about anything that happened outside mauntery walls. They did not wish to take sides. No one had ever discussed current events with her. Finally, she was talking to someone, and he had to go and act like an imbecile!

He didn't come to observe her all week. Every morning she waited, wondering, maybe even… no, she wasn't hoping. She saw him when the servants served meals. And occasionally she saw him shadowing his father around the castle. He looked at her, but never said a word. When he didn't come bother her after breakfast on Saturday and insist on teaching her, she had enough. If he was going to act this pathetic, she'd have to talk to him herself. Just to get rid of the tension – that's all.

As she approached his room, she wondered if servants were even allowed to go to anyone's room without being summoned. To hell with it. She knocked anyway and put her hands on her hips, tapping her foot as she waited for him to open the door. She wasn't shocked by the surprise on his face.

"Miss Elphaba?"

Suddenly she didn't remember why she'd come. She opened her mouth and had no idea what to say. For a moment she stood there looking clueless.

The grin that crept onto his face made her angry. "Since you seem to be at a loss for words, I have something to say. I apologize for scaring you. I didn't mean anything by it. I just wish someone would talk to me like a normal person, and actually have an intelligent conversation with me. I'm bored here. It was just such a relief to actually talk to someone. That's all."

Elphaba lowered her eyes and nodded. "Prince Fiyero, you must realize that I grew up in a mauntery. That kind of environment doesn't leave room for any sort of touching, whether friendly or even helpful." Even an innocent, friendly brush of the hand was alarming. It was different. Her hand felt warm, just for a moment. But she didn't need to think about that.

"I understand. I didn't think about that. I should have."

"You told me yourself that you have no idea what it is like inside a mauntery; you could not have known." It was tough to admit, but she had been a little wrong. "Is it custom in the Vinkus to be so… friendly?"

Fiyero laughed. "It depends. Technically, you are not supposed to touch someone above your station. But friendly handshakes and hugs are quite common."

"That's good to know." Elphaba stood in the doorway, unsure of what to say or what she was doing. She knew she shouldn't stand in the doorway. If someone came by and saw her standing there it would look strange. But she couldn't leave and she wouldn't enter his room uninvited.

"Do you want to come in?"

"I'm not sure if I do, but I will."

Fiyero chuckled. "Okay, Miss Elphaba." He sat on the bed and patted next to him for her to sit beside him.

Seriously, he thought that after her reaction last week asking her to sit on his bed was a good idea? Elphaba rolled her eyes. "Prince Fiyero, I think I would much rather sit over here, if that is okay."

"Do what you want," he said.

"You could command me to talk to you, to be your friend, you know." Elphaba only said this because she knew he wouldn't.

He nodded solemnly. "I know."

"If you're so desperate for conversation, why don't you?" This question had burned at Elphaba for days.

"It's not fair, and it wouldn't make me happy, either. Knowing someone is only talking to me because he or she has to wouldn't make me feel very good, would it?"

"Probably not."

"Do you really think I go around forcing people to do everything for me?" He asked, looking a little hurt.

"I don't know what I think about you, Prince Fiyero. I haven't made up my mind."

"Good."

Elphaba cocked her head. "Good?"

"Yes. It means you don't hate me."

"Not yet." She was only half serious. He was winning her friendship, if it could be called that. She wasn't quite sure what friendship was. But he didn't seem to know the concept any better. As spoiled as he was, she could understand how being a prince could make one feel a bit isolated. He didn't mean her any harm, and he was smart enough. She could be stuck with much worse. And, as much as she hated to admit it, she was lonely sometimes, too. The other servants, as Fiyero said, were not at the same intelligence level. All they did was gossip, much like the maunts. A genuine friendship wouldn't be so bad. Suddenly she realized something and glared at him.

"What?"

"You manipulative…" Elphaba stopped. It might not do well to insult the crown prince, "friend" or not. "You avoided me so that I'd come talk to you, didn't you?"

"I wasn't sure it would work," he admitted, smiling proudly in a way that made her want to smack him.

She huffed angrily and folded her arms across her chest. "I should get up and leave and never talk to you again."

"But you won't."

She bit her tongue. "It wouldn't be right of a servant to do that."

"You can say that's your reason if it makes you feel better, but I think you might actually want to talk to me just a little bit."

He was bold. That must come with being a prince. She shrugged.

"You're not denying it."

"I'm not."

He smiled that obnoxious smile again. "So, let's talk." Fiyero shut the door of his room.

Elphaba looked at the door, a little alarmed. Why had he done that?

Seeing her look, he said, "You do realize you are not supposed to be in here, right? I don't care, but my parents might. I'm just protecting you."

"Oh. Thank you, I guess." She was still uncomfortable, but she had no reason to protest.

"And we'll start with that. Miss Elphaba, as much as you refer to me as your 'master,' or giving me the title of Prince, you don't exactly treat me that way."

She bit her lip.

"I don't want you to. I asked you not to think of me that way, and you clearly don't. So can we please drop the formalities?"

"In the mauntery, everyone was either 'mother' or 'miss.' It just seems wrong not to use formalities."

"We're not in a mauntery. We're in the Vinkus. And my name is Fiyero. Forget the fact that I'm a prince."

"That's a bit hard to do."

"Well, Elphaba, just try."

"If that's what you want."

When Elphaba returned to her room later, she found her furniture had been switched out. Her things were still there, of course, but the mattress was nicer and cleaner, the bedside table actually stood up on all four legs and the dresser drawers actually closed. A voice behind her said, "Good, I'm glad they fixed it."

She whirled on him, then. "Fiyero, you're an idiot. You want me to forget you're a prince? Well you can't go around doing things like _this_ and expect me to forget."

He sighed. "You're right. Shall I have them give you your old furniture?"

She raised her eyebrows at him. "I don't want you going through any more trouble, so no." With that, she went into her room and closed her door. What is Oz was she supposed to do about him?


	7. Chapter 7: Crime and Punishment

**Chapter Seven: Crime and Punishment**

She was really busy during the days, he came to learn. When she wasn't teaching, she was in the kitchens. On certain days she had an hour or two to herself, but she didn't feel like socializing then. Their conversations mostly took place in the library on weekends. They would start with science, but often trail off into other subjects.

"You never told me how you ended up in the mauntery." He'd avoided the subject for a few hours, but he had wanted to know. Fiyero tried to avoid being too personal, since it made her uncomfortable, but he couldn't help that he was curious about her.

"I don't remember."

"But they must have told you," he prodded.

"I was left in a basket on the doorstep with a note stating my name. That's all I was told."

"That's… that's terrible. Why would parents leave their own child like that?"

"Maybe because she's deformed? Fiyero, you might not realize that green is not a natural skin color."

"It's not? I mean, I'd seen the Munchkinland woman who used to be our schoolmarm, but I just thought you were from some other part of Oz…" This genuinely surprised him. Green looked so natural on her.

"I am from some other part of Oz. But green isn't normal there, either."

"I had no idea." He wasn't sure how he was supposed to react to that. Should he be sorry for her? Somehow he didn't think she'd take well to pity. All he could do was treat her like a normal person – well, as much as he could. They hadn't discussed what he had done about her furniture since she'd stormed back into her room. He had only meant to help, but he knew she had a point. And his parents had thought it strange when he had requested they have the furniture changed, though they hadn't bothered to ask why.

"Well, I guess I shouldn't complain about being mistaken for normal." Elphaba laughed.

"I should hope not." Fiyero liked that she laughed with him occasionally. She was clearly getting more comfortable. "Do you know why you're green, then?"

"Gee Fiyero, I was left in a basket on a mauntery doorstep, never met my parents, are you really clueless enough to think I actually know anything about it?"

"Miss Elphaba!" A sharp female voice stung Fiyero's ears. It was his mother. This wouldn't go well.

Elphaba shrunk into herself. "Yes, ma'am?"

"Did I just hear you call Crown Prince Fiyero 'clueless'? And did you just refer to him without the proper 'Prince' or 'Master' in front of his name?"

Elphaba stammered. "I…"

"I told her to, Mother." Fiyero tried his best to rescue her. "I asked her not to bother with the formality."

"I'll deal with you later." His mother turned back to Elphaba. "And what are you doing in here anyway?"

"We were going over things I was to study for my entrance exam to Shiz," Fiyero lied.

"That's all well and good but I think you two have done more than enough studying for the day! Miss Elphaba, you will be eating only bread and drinking only water for the next two weeks. And any free time you have will be spent in your room. You have no right to address the Crown Prince in such a way."

Fiyero winced. She'd never want to talk to him again.

Elphaba merely nodded. "Yes, ma'am." She fled the room.

Fiyero's mother glared at him. "You stay put. I am going to get your father."

Fiyero wanted to go to Elphaba. He wanted to tell her he was sorry for getting her into trouble. But he realized that if he did that right now, he'd only get the both of them into more trouble. So he stayed put.

Fiyero's father walked in. "Fiyero, I know what I said about your interests in women, but _that_ servant girl?"

"It's not like that…" Fiyero bit his lip. Sure, maybe he'd thought about… His father didn't need to know that. "We were just studying and we were joking around and she forgot herself for a moment. She's really very sorry."

Fiyero's father sat down across from him. "Why can't you find a nice Vinkun girl? There are plenty your age. Two of the maids, one of the kitchen girls, one of the stable girls… If you're going to have some fun, why not them? I mean, if you really wanted _that_, but… I'd suggest not."

Fiyero wanted to ask his father why. But that would make it look like he wanted Elphaba, and that wasn't the point he was trying to get across. "As I said, it is not like that, Father. I was just talking to her. She's a very good tutor."

His father sighed. "And that's a concern, as well. I told you to have fun, not to actually get attached!"

"I am not attached. We are _friends_. She is helping me study."

"I won't stop you. But I suggest you do your studying in private for your mother's sake. And less often. And please, find some Vinkun girl." His father left without another word.

Fiyero didn't see Elphaba again for two days. He shadowed his father around the castle all day the first day and hunted and learned to fight all day the next. He thought going to her wouldn't look right, especially after his father's discussion with him. So, instead, he snuck into her bedroom the next night. "Miss Elphaba…?"

She jumped out of bed and screamed. He thanked Oz for the thick walls and the fact that his parents' room was on the opposite side of the stairs. When she realized it was him, she calmed down – a little. "What in Oz?"

"I wanted to apologize for getting you into trouble. And I brought you some food." He handed her some fruit.

She took it and bite into it greedily, but still glared at him. "So you thought it was a good idea to come into my room in the middle of the night and scare me half to death?"

"If I went to your room during the day and my parents saw, they'd be suspicious."

"So would I, if I were them! Haven't we gotten in enough trouble already? As nice as it was to talk to someone Fiyero, it's not worth it."

He wouldn't let her go that easily. "We can still study for an hour or two on weekends."

"And that's fine. But we can't _talk_. I can't be your friend. The other day was proof of that."

"No, no, I had an idea. Why don't you come to my room when you have free time? I can lock the door and no one will question me. My parents won't see you – they're never on this side of the stairs."

Elphaba looked exasperated. "And if I get caught in _your room_ do you know how much trouble I'll be in?"

Fiyero bit his lip, but decided to go ahead and say it. "I have an excuse for that, too."

"Oh, what? We're 'studying'? That didn't work too well today!"

"The door will be locked. We'll hear them before they hear us. And well… if I have to… My father basically told me I should be having some 'fun' with the servant girls before I get married. I could just say…"

"Are you serious?" She put her hands on her hips, which made her waist look particularly small in that nightdress, so small he could wrap his arms around it…

"I am serious." He didn't add that his father had all but asked him specifically _not_ to sleep with her.

"You think I'm okay with pretending to sleep with you?"

"Hopefully you won't have to. It's just a worst-case scenario." And he didn't know how much it would help, anyway. His father might let her go, but he'd probably punish Fiyero and make it clear to Elphaba she was not to be in his room again. But it was worth the risk. If his parents wanted to see him, they never came to his room. They hadn't since his father had given him that "talk" about the servant girls. If they needed him, they sent a servant to get him. And his father had told him to study in private, anyway.

Elphaba looked at him, shaking her head. "Why are you so desperate to talk to me, Prince Fiyero?"

So she was back to calling him "Prince" again? "Because you fascinate me," he answered. "And I like talking to you. What is so hard to believe about that?"

Elphaba sat back down on her bed. "Obviously I can't come to your room at least for these two weeks…"

"But you will?" Fiyero brightened.

"If I don't, you'll just keep waking me up in the middle of the night and I'll never get to sleep. Now leave!"

He found it cute how she pretended she didn't want to give in. Had he just thought of her as "cute"? He'd never found anyone cute…


	8. Chapter 8: Sneaking Around

**Chapter Eight: Sneaking Around**

She_ fascinated_ him? What in Oz was that supposed to mean? Was that a compliment? Did she want it to be? Elphaba tried to settle back into bed. The boy was crazy, completely and totally insane. But insane could work on some people. He had to be insane to talk to her and continue to sneak around like this. She couldn't help but wonder if he wanted more from her… Elphaba shook her head hard. She needed to go to sleep.

Fiyero didn't observe her during lessons anymore. He must also realize that it would look wrong. This whole thing was wrong, wasn't it? It was certainly unconventional. Why did it feel so scandalous? They were just talking. It was two weeks before they spoke again.

Sneaking through the halls of the castle was difficult as the only green person in the castle. It was only down one hallway and to the left, but it felt like forever before she made it. Should she knock? Standing there could be risky.

She didn't have to decide. Fiyero opened the door and shooed her inside. "I saw your feet under the door."

Elphaba sat on a chair and looked around the room. The last time she'd been in here she'd been too focused on arguing with Fiyero to take in her surroundings. This room had to be bigger than the room she had shared with all of the maunts. He had a table (which she was sitting across from him at), a large, beautiful desk, a huge bed, bookshelves… it was elegant.

"Again, I'm sorry for getting you in trouble, Elphaba."

She opened her mouth to tell him to call her "Miss," but thought the better of it. Elphaba only hoped he'd remember to address her properly when they weren't alone, and she him. "It feels weird sneaking around like this. Breaking the rules."

"You've never broken a rule?"

"Not that I can think of, no."

Fiyero laughed. "Well, be careful, it can get addictive."

Elphaba smiled a little. "It was kind of exciting."

He smiled back. This time his smile didn't make her want to smack him. "I told you." He relaxed in his chair. "How are my siblings doing in their lessons? I really did like to observe for more than just to stare at you, as much fun as that is."

She felt herself blush. "Revienna is doing wonderfully. Berniel is hyper. Sometimes it's hard to get him to focus."

"It runs in the family. I've found recently that I've been very distracted, too."

Elphaba was getting uncomfortable with the implications he was making. But she didn't know how to tell him to stop when he'd argue that he wasn't doing anything. "I've noticed."

"So, we were in the middle of a conversation when my mother came in. I know you don't know why you're green, but you must have some theory." He pressed.

She thought about the green bottle that had been left in the bassinet with her. Mother Yackle had cackled harshly when Elphaba had asked about it. But that was private. No one but Mother Yackle knew about it. Elphaba paused.

"You do have a theory, don't you?"

What was it with him? It was like she was being interrogated, and effectively. "There was a small bottle, a green one, labeled only 'elixir,' left with me. Perhaps my mother drank it and it caused me to turn green in her womb. Or maybe they gave it to me after I was born and I just turned green. That's all I know."

"Do you ever wonder about your parents?"

"I used to. But I don't care anymore. Fiyero, they abandoned me. They obviously didn't love me. Why should I waste my feelings on them?"

She could see the pity in his eyes and she looked away. Elphaba had seen more than enough pitiful things in the mauntery. There was worse out there. And she wasn't weak. She didn't need his pity. He seemed to realize this. "I can see how you would feel that way. But did you ever wonder if you had siblings?"

"I don't think I would have siblings. After giving birth to a mistake, why would they try again? They'd worry the same thing would happen."

"You never know."

"You're right. I will never know."

He looked at her, clearly deciding it was best to change the subject. "Did you have any friends in the mauntery?"

"Most of the women there were over thrice my age. Yes, some of them took me under their wing and taught me what they know. The ones who hadn't been maunts since they were very young actually had something to say. But I wouldn't have called any of them friends. They were more like… teachers. Not even that."

"Kind of like having a bunch of schoolmarms around all the time?"

"Schoolmarms who were on the clock twenty-four hours a day. Not, well, not me."

Fiyero laughed. "Sometimes I forget."

"You forget?"

"I wish you could. Yes, sometimes I do forget that you're a servant. You don't act like one – and that's a good thing, at least to me. To me you're more like a classmate, a peer, a friend." He seemed saddened by the fact that she couldn't so easily forget his station.

"I don't understand how you can forget. Look at you, Fiyero. Look at what you're wearing, how you walk. And then look at me. I barely fit in this dress. I slouch."

He did exactly what she said. He looked at her, hard, studying her. His stare was so intense she shuddered. "I don't see it. I mean, maybe my clothes are newer than yours, but that's it, Elphaba. You may not forget it, but you're the only person who isn't afraid to be honest with me and talk back to me because I'm a prince. You're the only girl who doesn't instantly want me because I happen to be royalty."

"And so you decide that you'll bother the one person who _isn't_ completely enamored with you?" Elphaba laughed. "You are a strange man, Fiyero, especially for a prince. I've never known any princes, but I've read about them. You don't fit the mold."

"I think that's a compliment. If I was just like every other prince, I'd be boring."

"True. Then I really wouldn't want to talk to you."

"Do you at least think of me as a friend?"

"I think of you as an irritating yet amusing friend, yes." This was mostly true. Her irritation with him was not quite what it had been several weeks ago. He wasn't the idiot she'd thought him to be, though he could be clueless at times, but even that was… amusing.

His smile brightened. "Good."

"I think it's my turn to interrogate you," Elphaba decided. She hated to admit that she was curious, too. "What's it like shadowing your father all day? What does he do?"

"He actually doesn't do much. I've seen him write one letter to be sent to the City. He's met with the leaders of the other tribes once or twice. Mostly he just helps keep the peace and deals with problems among the village folk."

"What sort of problems?"  
>"Last week one man stole another man's wife…"<p>

"What?" Elphaba found this amusing.

"Well, he said he stole her. But she went willingly."

"And?"

"That sort of thing isn't so taboo out here, Elphaba. Remember what I said about my father asking me to sleep with the servant girls?"

She wondered for a moment if he had – not that she cared. "Marriage is just a formality, like yousaid, I guess."

"Right. Things are usually arranged. It can cause problems. One woman leaves her husband, or a husband leaves his wife… When I become king, I'm going to abolish the practice of arranged marriage. I realize it's a tradition, but people should be able to be with whom they choose."

"If they choose anyone at all," Elphaba added.

He looked at her strangely. "Yes."

"Do… do your servants get married? I mean, how would it work – since they live here?"

"They marry each other. Some don't. There aren't really any arrangements among them."

For a moment she had worried she might be expected to marry. "That's a relief."

"It is," he agreed.

She wondered why he even cared.


	9. Chapter 9: Choices

**Chapter Nine: Choices**

He was uninterested in following his father around. He was uninterested in hunting or fighting. He was only slightly interested in reading, which was new. Fiyero lived in anticipation of the weekends when he could talk to Elphaba. This was getting out of control, but he didn't know how to stop it. He didn't think he wanted to stop it, actually.

"Earth to Fiyero," Elphaba laughed, waving a hand in front of his face. "Are you paying any attention to what I'm saying?"

"I'm paying attention, just not necessarily to the words coming out of your mouth."

Her cheeks darkened. She always got embarrassed at even the slightest implication that he was admiring her. He wondered what would happen if he just came out and said that he thought she was lovely. She rolled her eyes at him. "You're ridiculous."

"And I don't think you mind it."

She looked at her hands. "It's amusing."

She used the word "amusing" a lot to describe him, and somehow he felt that it didn't mean the same thing every time she said it. "I'm glad I entertain you."

"Well, I apparently don't entertain you! You didn't hear a thing I said!"

He didn't argue. She entertained him. But at the moment it wasn't what she'd been saying that was entertaining. He was sure it was something intelligent and insightful, but sometimes he got so wrapped up in this… feeling he was having. It wasn't something he was familiar with. He grinned at her stupidly. "Give me some credit. That's the first time that's happened."

"I'll give you that," she conceded. She looked towards the window thoughtfully, thinking about distractions of her own, he could only guess. After a moment she asked, "Are there any pets in the castle?"

"Well, outside of the horses in the stable, the only animals I've seen are some stray cats wandering… why?" He looked at her, wondering what she was getting at.

"Well one of those strays seems to have taken up residence in my room."

"I can make sure it goes somewhere else…"

"No, Fiyero, it's not bothering me, and stop trying to make my life easier. We talked about this. And I like the cat, okay? I was just wondering if I'd get in more trouble for letting the sneaky little creature stay."

"I don't think anyone would really care." Fiyero wanted badly to go to her room now and see her with the cat. Was she maternal and sweet and nurturing? Or did she just let it sit around? He wanted to see another side of her. He wanted to see every side of her he could. She was the most intriguing human being he had ever met.

"That's good."

"So you like cats?"

"I like _this_ cat. I can't say I've seen a lot of animals, Fiyero. Occasionally we'd find a hurt stray nearby or on the doorstep and take it in until it was healed. One of the maunts had a bird. But that was about it."

"How much 'healing' and caretaking did you do, Elphaba?" The idea of her nursing anyone back to health was amusing to him.

"As much as was necessary. I know what to do if someone is injured or sick. I tried to keep my distance from the infirmary, though. There were often children there who would look at me and be afraid."

"You do not seem scary or threatening to me."

"But think about it from the eyes of a child. To a child in the City, you'd probably be scary, too."

He hadn't thought about that. Outside of the Vinkus, he was an abnormality, as well, though not to the extent that she was. He wondered how people would react to him at Shiz. And he wondered, if Elphaba had been able to go, how people would react to her – her skin and her personality. She was certainly unique. He only wished she could go to Shiz. Fiyero was still working on his idea for that, but he wasn't so sure. There were still months left until the entrance exams, anyway. "I'm going to miss these conversations when I go to Shiz," he thought aloud.

"That was random. How did you get from children in a mauntery to Shiz?" Elphaba laughed kindly. "And you won't miss them. There will be plenty of intelligent people there to talk to."

"But they won't be you."

"No, they won't be. And at some point you'll find yourself grateful for that."

"I'm not so sure. I wish you could go to Shiz, too. You deserve to. You're certainly bright enough."

"Are you trying to rub it in?" She was getting a little sensitive, he could tell.

"No, not at all."

"Besides, you're being ridiculous. That's a little less than a year away. You take the exams in seven months, and you won't get the results for two more, and you won't actually _go_ for two more. By then we'll be sick of each other and glad to be rid of each other."

"You think you'll be sick of me?"

Elphaba grinned. "I might be."

He knew she was teasing, so he mocked feeling hurt and frowned dramatically. "That makes me sad."

She giggled. He hadn't heard that before. He'd heard her laugh – loud and brazen. But the giggle was different. It was so feminine, so sweet. She seemed to realize it and shrugged it off. "You know I don't mean it. You might have plenty of people to talk to when you go, but no one else will be here for me to talk to."

"I remember a time when a certain 'Miss Elphaba' had no desire to talk."  
>"It wasn't so long ago. But I've changed my mind."<p>

"I'd like to believe I had a hand in that."

"Believe what you will," she smiled wickedly.

"Did you finish that book we were talking about? The one about the history of Animals?"

"Yes. I found the old myths about how Animals came to be separate from animals to be really fascinating! The idea that some were baptized by tears, and so they were able to think and speak. I mean, clearly, that isn't what happened, but it's interesting, the stories that people come up with for things they can't explain."

"That's how religion comes about, I guess."

"From silly illogical theories that make no sense? That seems to me to be exactly what religion is." Elphaba half-smiled. "Oh, how the maunts would shudder to hear me say that!"

"You're not in a mauntery anymore. If you want to blaspheme Lurline or the Unnamed God or whatever else there is, you can feel free to."

"It is strange sometimes," she admitted. "The mauntery felt so stifling. But it also felt safe."

"Safe? It was in the middle of the City!"

"I meant… Well, the mauntery kept everyone there safe from themselves. Free will is a wonderful gift. But it's also a curse. People don't always make the best decisions for themselves."

"I think you can make your own decisions, take care of yourself."

"I'm beginning to see that. It is just different to be able to make those choices."

"But you like having the freedom to make your own choices, right?"

"Of course. I mean, I can't do everything I want. I'm still a servant. You have more freedom than I do, Fiyero."

That was true. "I guess I do."

"I can't wander the castle as I wish. I can't eat whatever I like. But I have more choices than I did before, even if I don't have as many as you do."

"I think you have more choices than you think," he said softly.

She looked at him curiously, intently. "Like what choices?"

"Like this one." And then he made a choice for both of them. He kissed her.


	10. Chapter 10: Wanting

**Usually I'd wait, but I know you were all dying for another chapter, so I'll post this now. Because I love my readers. 3 **

**Chapter Ten: Wanting**

She felt her eyes close. She felt her face get warm. She felt her heart pounding. She felt her stomach dropping. And she felt a wanting, a wanting she did not understand. It was a wanting she both feared and enjoyed. It only lasted a moment, but so much went through her that it felt like a lifetime. When their lips parted, she could only stare at him in silence.

"Don't look at me like that," he said nervously. "Say something, Elphaba."

"What was that?" That wasn't what she meant. She knew exactly _what_ it was. Beneath that question were so many others: What did that _mean_? Why did you do that? What do you want from me? Did that really just happen?

Fiyero chuckled. "That's a better reaction than I worried I might get."

"What did you think I'd do? Slap you?"

"Actually, yes."

"That's not the point. What was that?"

"You know what it was."

"Why are you talking in circles, Fiyero? You know what I meant."

"I know what you meant? You're talking in circles just as much as I am!"

Elphaba sighed. He was right about that, as much as she hated it. "Fiyero, that was… what on earth were you thinking?"

"I was thinking that I've wanted to do that for weeks now and I might as well go for it."

That made her pause. She had no idea how to respond to that. Elphaba swallowed hard. With that one kiss he had turned her completely upside down. "Well, what did you expect to happen – given that I didn't slap you?"

"I wasn't sure. But I know what I hoped would happen. I hoped you'd, well, return the feelings."

"What feelings, Fiyero? You haven't said anything about any feeling outside of _want_."

"There's more than that, but we can start there. Did you want to?"

"I hadn't really thought about it." That was a lie. But she had _tried_ not to think about it. Close enough.

"Well, now that's it's happened, you've thought about it. I can do that again and you can figure out if you wanted it."

"Very funny."

"I was serious!"

Her face was hotter than the kitchen fires. She had liked the feeling. But the idea of it happening again made her uneasy. His parents would kill her if they caught them! Wait, no, they wouldn't. Fiyero's father had all but told him to… "Are you just doing this because your father told you to sleep with the servant girls?" She demanded.

"No. I had no interest in sleeping with the servant girls when he gave me that advice. But you weren't here then. Now, things are different."

"So all you want is to sleep with me?" Elphaba didn't exactly know what kind of answer she wanted from him.

"No. Well, not exactly. Elphaba, you know this is complicated."

"It doesn't have to be," she said suddenly.

"I'm supposed to be married to someone else and yet I want you. How is that not complicated?"

"Marriage is just a formality. You said it yourself, Fiyero."

"You really don't care?"

"I really don't," she said, looking him in the eyes. She didn't care, not much. It only bothered her that she could get in trouble if this went on. Elphaba hadn't been sent out here to be some prince's mistress. And she wasn't. Not now. Maybe this was all just a curiosity and when it had run its course and he got married she wouldn't care anymore, anyway.

"So you're saying you wanted this?"

"I'm saying I'm not opposing it."

He smiled and kissed her again, this time harder. His hands slid to her waist. She pushed him away.

"Whoa, whoa, slow down. I didn't say you could jump me, Fiyero!" Technically, he could do whatever he wanted to her. For a moment she'd almost forgotten. It was the first time she'd ever forgotten. She smiled.

He looked at her, confused. "Why are you smiling?"

"Because, Fiyero, for the first time, I genuinely forgot you were a prince."

"Really?"

She nodded.

"Can I kiss you again for that?"

Elphaba laughed. "If you keep your hands to yourself for the time being, yes, you may."

He brushed his lips across hers briefly. "So what happens now?"

"I could ask you the same question."

"Can I tell you what I want to happen?"

"You can tell me. It doesn't mean I'll agree," she said hesitantly. She wasn't sure if they were on the same page here.

"I don't want everything to change. Yes, I want some things to change. But I want to sit and talk with you every weekend. And not just about this. About bigger things. But I also want to explore this."

"Explore this how?"

"I like you, Elphaba. I want to see what that means, where it goes. And yes, I want to explore other things. Not now. But you can't deny that you didn't like that kiss just a little bit."

"Which kiss?" She was avoiding now, and she knew he could tell.

"The first one. I'm not going to ask you to admit it. I will simply satisfy myself with the fact that you didn't object." He raised his eyebrows at her.

"A valid assumption," she replied evasively.

He shook his head, smiling. "You are one of a kind, Elphaba. And that's what I like about you. But I do need something from you, Elphaba, before I continue. I need you to at least say that you feel something for me, something in the way of romance."

"I'm not the romantic type. How could I be?" When she saw him open his mouth, she cut him off. "But yes, Fiyero, I feel something in that direction."

"That's all I needed."

"I think when your father told you to sleep with the servant girls, he didn't exactly mean this. You realize that if someone finds out the details, we're in trouble, right?"

"I do. And I don't care."

"Of course you don't, you're a prince. Your parents won't punish you the way they'll punish me."

"They won't kill you, Elphaba."

"There are things just as bad."

"In all likelihood, you would be exiled. That's all."

Exiled. With nowhere to go. Dropped at the Vinkun border and left to fend for herself. That did not sound appealing. "That's all?" She rolled her eyes.

"Well it's better than being tortured or killed."

"I'm not so sure, Fiyero."

"If it scares you that much, we can forget I ever kissed you." He looked sad.

"One, it doesn't scare me enough to stop me from doing what I want. Two, even if I wanted to, Fiyero, I couldn't just forget that. But we have to be careful."

He cupped her cheek. "I will be. I don't want anything to happen to you. I'd never see you again."

She brought her hand up to his and gently took his hand away from her cheek but continued to hold it. He rubbed his thumb across her knuckles and she tried not to shiver at the small sensations she felt just from that movement alone. Yes, she wanted this. That much was clear enough to her.


	11. Chapter 11: Lies and Promises

**Chapter Eleven: Lies and Promises**

Fiyero was so excited he could barely contain himself. He realized if he walked around suddenly happier and brighter than he'd been before, it might make people wonder. He was finally understanding things – the reason that woman had left her husband for another man, the reason people didn't want to marry their arranged spouses. Love. Not that he was in love, per se, but he felt more for Elphaba than he had ever felt for anyone outside of his immediate family.

She still wouldn't spend every free moment she had with him. "Fiyero, you have more free time than I do. You get to spend some of it alone. I don't have that luxury, and I want my alone time. The few hours I have on weekdays are mine – for now. Give me space."

So he did. Well, he tried to. The weeks were so boring without her. It had been a month. He'd been able to endure the weeks, but not forever. So once or twice he snuck into her room five minutes after lights out, knowing she hadn't fallen asleep yet. She laughed the first time.

"Sneaking into my room?" Elphaba grinned as he slipped through the door. "If I didn't know better, I'd think you wanted something more than just to talk to me."

"Maybe a little bit more," he admitted, "but not to the extent you're implying."

"Good because you're not getting it. And you'd best be careful if you intend to do that again. I was about to change into my nightclothes, Fiyero. If you happen to sneak in when I'm changing, I will not be very forgiving."

"It's not as if I can knock, Elphaba."

"Since you were so insistent on fixing up this room, I'll lock the door for the two minutes I'm changing. If the door is locked, then you know what it means, okay? And don't think you can just come sneaking in here. I meant it when I said I liked my alone time. Not to mention, I need sleep."

"Just once or twice a week? For just a little while?"

She shook her head, but said, "I know better than to tell you 'no.' You'll do it anyway."

He knew better than to believe she was actually mad at him for sneaking in. She was always pretending to fight him off and give in. He kissed her.

He had asked the first few times he kissed her, but at some point she'd gotten frustrated and told him that if he always felt he had to ask then maybe he just shouldn't do it. So the next time he'd just kissed her, and she'd responded a lot better to that.

This time she let him put one hand on her waist. She wrapped an arm around his neck and let the kiss linger. "You could get us in so much trouble, Fiyero. If your parents caught you in here…"

"You know just as well as I do that they barely even come to this side of the staircase." He sat down on her bed.

She looked at him and he knew she wasn't exactly pleased with his choice of seating, but this time she didn't argue and sat beside him. "You seem a little distracted."

She could read him like a book. He'd figured out all the details of his plan, he just wanted to make sure she wouldn't kill him for trying it. "I have an idea, but I wanted to talk to you about it before I went ahead and tried to make it work."

She cocked her head at him. "What are you talking about?"

"Shiz."

"Fiyero, we talked about this…"

"No, we didn't. Not this part. Let me at least tell you my idea, okay?" He put a hand over hers.

She sighed and nodded. "Go ahead."

"Our previous schoolmarm had been educated at a private girls' school. You haven't had anything but what you learned at the mauntery. My mother's about to have a baby. Wouldn't it be better for my siblings if their schoolmarm was educated at Shiz?" Elphaba opened her mouth, but he squeezed her hand. "And maybe it would be good for _me_ to have a tutor at Shiz, someone to make sure I do well."

"That's all very good, Fiyero, but who would teach your siblings? They can't just go three years without any learning."

"I wrote to the mauntery. They'd be willing to send out one of the younger maunts, a Mother Aloise, I believe, did you know her?"

"She taught me a lot."

"She wouldn't stay out here permanently, as she believes her duty is in the City. But she'd be willing to come out here for a few years on a mission. She wouldn't be allowed to try and convert us, but during her free time she'd be welcome to roam the villages and other tribes and try to get converts."

"Fiyero," Elphaba spoke slowly. He could see hope in her eyes, but it was small. "Your parents wouldn't be suspicious?"

"I would go to my father first. He's a little better about it. And he's the one who encouraged me to, well, you know, and perhaps he'd just think that I want a… bed companion as well as tutor at Shiz." This wasn't exactly the case, but his father was more forgiving of his friendship with Elphaba.

"And where would I live, Fiyero?"

"That would be up to my parents. They spoke of making sure I got a single room apartment. Perhaps they will try for a second room for both of us. Or they will put you up in the dorms."

Elphaba nodded carefully.

"Are you okay with me doing this? I know sometimes you get mad when I try to do something for you using my, what were the words you used? 'Princely power?'"

Elphaba took a deep breath, looking at him. "If you want to try, go ahead. But I only hope it doesn't tip your parents off to, well, us."

"I don't think it will. As far as they know, I've stayed away from you other than that one hour on Saturday when we study in the library." He loved and hated that hour. The rest of the weekend when she wasn't working she could actually _talk _to him. But when they were in the library, she had to go back to calling him "Prince Fiyero" and speaking politely to him. He hated that part. But he loved spending time with her.

"Then ask, Fiyero. I don't think they'll agree. But if you want to ask, you can."

"Good. I don't want to leave you here. You deserve to be at Shiz, Elphaba, no matter how I feel about you."

She flushed.

He kissed her gently on the lips and stood up. "I should let you sleep."

"Yes, you should," she stood up and walked to the door with him. Before he left, she looked up at him and kissed him on the lips so quickly he wasn't sure it had even happened. By the time he even realized it, he was walking back to his bedroom.

Fiyero went straight to his father the next morning and gave a carefully prepared speech. When it was over, he sat down across from his father at his desk and waited expectantly, hoping desperately that he'd agree.

His father looked closely at Fiyero. "I see your point. And your mother will, too, in the state she's in. She's always more concerned about the children when she's pregnant. You've thought this out carefully. May I ask why?"

He had a lie prepared for this. "As I said, Father, I need a tutor. Before Miss Elphaba arrived here, I was concerned I wouldn't pass the Shiz entrance exam. Now I'm confident that I'll pass with flying colors. I want to do well at Shiz, and Miss Elphaba may be the key to that."

His father thought for a moment. "All right. I'll agree. On two conditions."

"What, Father?"

"She will take the entrance exam, too, when the women take the exams. And when you take it, if you do well, then I will believe she is as good a tutor as you claim she is."

"That's one condition," Fiyero said, not at all worried about passing the exam. He knew he'd do fine. And he and Elphaba did actually study. "What's the other?"

"You have to promise me, Fiyero, that you have no feelings for this girl other than admiration for her intelligence."

"I promise." Fiyero had never before made a promise to his father that he knew was a lie. He didn't feel quite right about it, but he knew it was the only way.

"Fine. Then I will talk to your mother about it. Provided you pass the exam and she does as well, she can attend Shiz with you. But if I detect even a hint of impropriety before that, it's out of the question. Understood?"

"Understood."

That night, when he snuck into Elphaba's room to tell her what his father had said (his parents planned to discuss it with her later in the week), the kiss she gave him was not as quick as the one before, not by far.


	12. Chapter 12: Complicated

**Chapter Twelve: Complicated**

He had made one of her dreams come true. She was going to Shiz. As much as she hated him going out of his way to do something for her using his status, this was something she would not complain about. But she didn't know how to thank him. The furniture had been one thing, but this was something different. Sure, the details hadn't been ironed out, and they had to be extremely careful not to get caught in any… amorous activity. At the moment, that wasn't too concerning. Their kisses were usually (though not always) brief, although things were intensifying, albeit slowly (which was how she liked it). It was the part about being in his bedroom. But he locked the door. She could always hide. Maybe they shouldn't see each other like that until Shiz. Elphaba laughed at the thought. Fiyero would never stand for it. And a few months _was_ a long time.

When Fiyero's parents sat her down after lessons in the schoolroom, she already knew what it was about. But she pretended otherwise.

"Miss Elphaba, our son has had an idea. Fiyero's ideas are sometimes a little ridiculous, but this idea of his makes a lot of sense to us. He has told us how well you've been doing tutoring him and helping him prepare for the entrance exams at Shiz." Fiyero's father began.

"Fiyero is a good student, sir. He studies very hard." Elphaba almost laughed when she thought about the way that sounded to her ears, knowing what she knew. But she bit her tongue.

"He does. But he might need some, ah, assistance at Shiz. And it would be beneficial to us for you to learn more, as well, to better teach our children. The mauntery you were sent from is sending a different maunt on a sort of, ah, mission. She mentioned you in her letter, how intelligent and well-mannered you are. Anyway, she'd fill in for you for the three years you'd be at Shiz, provided that both you and Fiyero pass the entrance exams. How does that sound to you?"

Elphaba smiled her sweetest smile. "Oh, sir, that sounds wonderful. But I couldn't possibly accept. It's too kind."

"We insist," Fiyero's mother said.

"If you think it would be helpful, of course, ma'am, I would have to do as you wish." The words tasted sour in her mouth, fake and empty.

"Please do. Now, we're sure you're going to want to study as well, so we'll let you get to your studying. Promise you will keep Fiyero in line and make sure he works hard."

"Oh, don't worry, ma'am, I will."

The moment they were out of the room, Elphaba's face changed completely and she shook her head. She had never sounded so polite in her entire life. And she had never lied to the extent that she and Fiyero were lying to his parents. Part of her liked it, she was surprised to discover. Sneaking around with Fiyero was exciting and fun.

Fiyero wrapped her in his arms when he snuck into her room that night, and she didn't push him away. She couldn't push him away again, not after everything he'd done for her. And it felt so nice in his arms, so good to be touched. So she stayed there for a while. Eventually she knew she had to tell him to go back to his room. "Fiyero, you know it's getting late," she said softly.

"I know." He looked at her. "You're acting sweet tonight."

"I'm just grateful. I've wished I could go to Shiz for years, Fiyero. I can't believe it actually worked. I can't believe you did it."

"I did it for you, Elphaba. And maybe a little for me, so I can keep you near me."

"You don't need to be near me at all times, you foolish boy. Don't you go thinking that just because I'm grateful you can follow me around everywhere. And don't think it's getting you anymore than I'm ready to give."

"I don't. I didn't do it to get anything from you, except maybe your company."

"I don't think I really care why you did it, Fiyero. I'm just happy to be going." But she did care why he did it. A month ago, Elphaba had thought that maybe this would only last a little while, that they would realize this wasn't right and give up. But it was going the opposite direction she had thought it would. And now they'd have more time to explore it. As much as she wanted him, as much as she liked talking to him, she didn't relish the thought of getting attached. Clearly, he already was. And she could feel herself getting there, too. But this couldn't go on forever. She didn't care that he was to be married, but as a servant, she knew she couldn't have the feelings for him that she could if she were a princess. Ha! Her a princess. Now that was an amusing thought. She pulled out of his arms. "You really should go, Fiyero."

"You're right." He kissed her again and left. She cursed herself for letting her heart sink just a little as he snuck back out the door. Now it really was getting complicated.

She did spend her spare time studying. And more of the time she and Fiyero spent together was dedicated to studying. Both of their futures relied on it. She didn't push him away when he kissed her, but she didn't necessarily encourage it, either. They needed to focus. They needed to be careful. "Things will be easier once we get to Shiz," she promised him. The idea scared her, though. But she couldn't let him see that.

"It will. There you won't be a servant. Yes, I'll still be a prince, but not a prince with any power."

"You'll still have power. People will listen to you because of your status."

"Not to the extent they do here. My point is that maybe at Shiz you'll feel more like my equal because you'll be treated as such. I know it's not exactly easy here."

He was right. There had been moments for both of them, she knew, where they had almost forgotten themselves. When she was serving dinner, he had almost forgotten to refer to her as "Miss," which wouldn't have been as big a deal as it would've been when she almost forgot to refer to him the right way in the library one afternoon. Luckily they had never slipped, but the risk was there. "We'll see, Fiyero. I'd like it if we were still somewhat discreet. You never know who is watching. I don't mean that we have to use the formalities, but maybe any affectionate gestures should be reserved for when we're alone. Just to be safe."

He looked a little disappointed, but he saw reason. "You have a good point."

"But why are we talking about it? We still have studying to do!"

"I was right when I told my parents you'd keep me focused at Shiz, that's for sure. You are relentless."

"So are you," she laughed, "just not about the same things."

"Oh?" He raised his eyebrows. "What am I relentless about?"

"Me."

"How?"

"You know how. Now stop it."

He put a hand under her chin and kissed her. "Stop what?"

"Fiyero!"

He just gave her a boyish grin.

"You are going to drive me completely insane if you behave this way at Shiz. There is a time for that. It's not now."

"Well, give me a time and I shall be glad to stop."

"Tonight. In my room. For five minutes. That's it."

"Five minutes is not nearly enough time."

"Really? What exactly are you planning on doing that's going to take so long?" She folded her arms across her chest.

"You know I wouldn't do anything you didn't want me to."

That was the problem. She wanted him to. She just wouldn't. Not here. Not in this place with the constant reminders that they shouldn't be doing what they were. And just because she wanted something didn't mean she should do it. Besides, she still didn't know what was going to happen with this. Not that it really mattered. How many chances at any sort of relationship was she going to get with the position she held and her skin, anyway? "Five minutes."

"Make it ten."

As usual, she pretended to want to disagree. "Do you want to get us in trouble?"

"I've stayed longer."

"Fine."

He always won. And he knew it, too. She hated that. She told herself it was because, despite their relationship, he was still a prince and she was still a servant. It was a flimsy excuse, but it was something.

The entrance exams were four months away. Which meant, if all went as planned, Shiz was eight months away. It was too long to wait, and yet it was too soon. Why did things have to get so complicated?


	13. Chapter 13: Anticipation

**Chapter Thirteen: Anticipation**

His birthday was a month before the entrance exams. As it had been every year, his family had a huge feast followed by lots of dessert that evening. It made him sad to watch Elphaba serve the meal rather than be able to take part in it. She wouldn't even make eye contact with him. It had to be that way, but it didn't mean he had to like it. He tried not to stare at her.

He ate quickly and received his gifts graciously, although he wasn't paying too much attention to what he was given. What he wanted was to sneak into Elphaba's room. No nice clothes, books or tools were going to distract him from that. Fiyero hoped his parents couldn't tell.

She had to clean up after dinner. Again, this was something he absolutely hated. But he sat with his parents in the living room, acting happy, smiling. When he saw her head up the stairs out of the corner of his eye, he begged off, claiming exhaustion. The moment he was up the stairs, he made a "detour" into her room.

She was already in her nightclothes this time. "It's been a long day, Fiyero."

"I don't even get a happy birthday?"

Elphaba smiled, though he could tell it was a little forced. "Happy birthday." She kissed him.

"I wish you could've been at the table instead of hovering over it."

She shrugged. "You know it can never happen."

"Well, on your birthday, I'll sneak you the best food I can find."

Elphaba looked away. "Fiyero, I think you're forgetting something."

"What?"

"I was left on the doorsteps of a mauntery. Do you really think I know when my birthday is?"

Oops. "I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it." Elphaba sat on her bed. "Fiyero, it doesn't matter. What's a birthday? The maunts just always guessed. We didn't celebrate birthdays at all in the mauntery, anyway. They just decided I was such and such an age when the weather outside was the same as it was when I was left on the doorstep."

"Then I'll sneak you food on some random day. Any idea around when?"

"End of summer, beginning of fall. Around the time we'd be heading to Shiz."

He sat beside her on the bed. "I'll remember that."

"Don't bother." Elphaba smiled at him, more genuine now. To his surprise, she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him.

He wrapped one arm around her waist and with the other gently pushed her back on the bed, deepening the kiss as he did. She squealed when she hit the pillow.

"Happy birthday," she whispered breathlessly.

He knew she wouldn't let him push her any further, so he took his time enjoying her mouth. He cupped her cheek in his hand. He loved the way her body was pressed against his. She was irresistible. After a few minutes, he pulled away. "You just made my birthday about ten times better."

She laughed. "It was just a kiss, Fiyero."

"It was one hell of a kiss," he grinned at her. "But you've had a long day. You need some rest."

She looked a little confused, and he knew why. Usually she was the one kicking him out. But he was leaving on his own. He didn't tell her, but he had to get out of there. Being in the bed with her, looking at her in her nightdress, kissing her like that… If he wanted to be respectful, he had to leave. One day, he told himself, but not now. For Oz's sake, she was still sixteen. And she wasn't ready. He knew that.

"Goodnight, Elphaba."

She didn't seem offended that he was choosing to leave. "Goodnight, Fiyero." Maybe she knew why he had to drag himself away.

Elphaba's anticipation for Shiz was infectious. Perhaps his reasons for being excited were a little different. They were both excited to learn. But he was eager to be in a place where they could forget the status issues that came between them. He wasn't so sure she was thinking about that, much. Sure, she thought about him. He knew that. But she was so much better at focusing on the task at hand. It was clear enough when they studied.

"Stop trying to hold my hand, Fiyero." Elphaba swatted his hand away for the third time. "Do you want to pass the entrance exams or not?"

"We'll be fine," he pressed his lips against her neck.

She shoved him. "_Stop it_."

He pouted.

"Don't even try, Fiyero. You do this every single time we study and I'm not putting up with it. I'll end this, Fiyero. I mean it."

He backed off. "You wouldn't." It hurt a little to think that maybe she wouldn't have a problem leaving him that easily. But part of him knew it was an empty threat. Still, he would respect her wishes.

"If you pushed me too much, I would. But I also think you know when to stop. And that would be right now. So can we please go back to studying?"

"I'm sorry. I'll stop. From now on, any time we decide we are studying, that is all I will do."

"I appreciate that. I'm not saying I don't like it," she smiled, "but you have to realize we've got less than a month. This is important."

"You're right. I'll focus."

The exams _felt_ easy enough. Waiting for the results was the hard part. Elphaba went over and over the test in her head, wondering what she got wrong. She remembered at least half the questions. When she asked Fiyero what his answers had been, he laughed. "Elphaba, you did fine. I did fine. Stop obsessing."

"You obsess, too, just not over this."

That was true enough. When the results did finally come, Fiyero was disappointed the two of them couldn't be alone to see them. But it only made sense that his family would want to be involved in that. His parents actually insisted on opening both of their letters.

They began with Fiyero's (which was no surprise). "Let's see how you did, son." Fiyero's father opened the letter and smiled. "You passed!"

Elphaba did not say anything. She knew it was improper of her to. But she did give him a smile when his parents were rereading the letter. That was enough.

"I see Miss Elphaba's tutoring did help," Fiyero's mother said.

"Oh, ma'am, he is a smart boy. I didn't need to help him much." Elphaba insisted. He hated her fake polite tone of voice. It didn't sound right on her. He hated that she had to use it at all.

"Now, Miss Elphaba, shall we open your letter?" Fiyero's father put his son's letter aside carefully and opened the second envelope. "Wow."

"What?" Both Elphaba and Fiyero looked at each other, wondering what could possibly have so astounded his father.

"They were so impressed with your scores that they are going to pay for your living arrangements. And they want you in the sorcery program. You'll be living in the nicest women's dorm on campus. Miss Elphaba, Fiyero is always telling us how smart you are, and we know you are intelligent, but I am very impressed. It looks as though you two will officially be going to Shiz in a month and a half."

Elphaba's eyes were shining with excitement. "That's wonderful, sir. Thanks again."

"I'm proud of you, son," Fiyero's parents had already forgotten about Elphaba and were back to being focused on him.

He tried to divert their attentions. "Obviously, it's Elphaba's doing. I would never have passed without her." They both knew he was lying. But he did know he had done better than he would've done without her.

"I will have the tailor make you some modern clothes so that you fit in. And Miss Elphaba," Fiyero's mother turned to her, "I'll have a new dress made for you, as well."

One dress was hardly enough, but Fiyero didn't say anything. Depending on the spending money he had at Shiz, he'd fix that. Or not. She'd never let him.

"That's too kind, ma'am." Elphaba did even sound strained, she was too happy.

"I... I'm going to go to my room for a little and think about what I want to pack." Fiyero said, giving Elphaba and imploring look.

"It's over a month away!" His father laughed.

"I know, but I'm excited." He left the room. He knew they'd send Elphaba off and give her some time to herself. She showed up in his doorway ten minutes later.

"We're going to Shiz," she said, still breathless from excitement.

He smiled at her and kissed her. "Yes we are. Promise me you'll come visit me in my single little apartment? I'll be so lonely without you. I hope you like the dorms, though."

"We'll see each other plenty, Fiyero. Don't worry about that. We'll probably be in some classes together."

"I'd hope we'd see each other outside of class, too!"

"We will," she rolled her eyes. "You need such reassurance sometimes. It's like you're a child."

"I'm not used to this... this... whatever this is."

"Neither am I. I don't act like that."

"You act different in your own way."

"Maybe I do." She looked at Fiyero. "This is going to be wonderful. Nothing this good has ever happened to me."

He thought about that and frowned for a moment. "It won't be the last good thing, I promise."


	14. Chapter 14: Closer

**Chapter Fourteen: Closer**

Though she thought it would feel like forever, the month and a half before they were to leave for Shiz went by quickly. Before she knew it, she was sitting in a carriage headed towards Shiz with Fiyero. It made her nauseous to read while the carriage was bumping along so she allowed Fiyero to distract her for a little while. The way he kissed her was sometimes _too_ distracting, though. Her heart pounded and her mind went blank.

Her waist was pulled against his and the contact made her warm, made something pool in the pit of her stomach, something sweet and exciting. She felt like her whole body was on fire, though not a painful kind of fire. Elphaba had heard the maunts warn against this feeling before. She hadn't cared then, and she didn't care now, but at least she knew what it was. She had to stop him after some time, though, because she worried she might act on the feeling, and she couldn't let herself… not yet.

When he pulled away, he smiled at her, gently tucking her hair behind her ears and running his fingers down her neck. She grabbed his hands and moved them away. Any time he touched her neck, she shuddered, and while it was a good shudder, it was _not_ one she needed now. "Let me breathe," she laughed.

"Sorry," he smiled sheepishly. "Sometimes I get so involved I can barely think."

She knew the feeling, though she didn't tell him that. "When do we stop tonight?"

"In a few hours. There's dinner at the hotel."

"About the hotel, Fiyero, we do have separate rooms, right?"

"Yes. Why? Are you worried I'll ravish you in the middle of the night?" He teased.

Her cheeks got hot and she tried to keep the image out of her head. "No! I was just wondering."

"You're welcome to sleep in my room, Elphaba. My parents were probably as inconsiderate as they usually are and booked me a nicer rom."

"They're not inconsiderate, Fiyero. You're the crown prince, their son. I'm a servant. It only makes sense."

"You didn't say if you'd sleep in my room or not."

Why did he always catch her when she avoided him? "We'll see."

"I won't do anything. And if I even think about it, I'll go sleep in your room… and take a cold shower."

If he didn't do anything, maybe she wouldn't have to worry about her own behavior. But she had never shared a bed with anyone before, chastely or otherwise. She liked the idea, but she needed her space, too. It was getting harder and harder not to get so attached to him. To care a little was one thing, even to do those things she worried about. But to care a lot? Then it might hurt if it did last and she had to share him. Not being able to marry him would never bother her. It was the idea that those feelings and things they shared he would share with someone else. Right now she didn't care. But what if she started to? She couldn't. It didn't matter now, anyway.

When they got to the hotel, Elphaba ate a dinner better than anything she'd shared in the kitchens with the other servants (they'd never gotten to eat the same food that the royal family did). Then they went to their separate rooms on separate floors. Fiyero did not ask her to come up to his room again. Maybe he'd drop it? Elphaba sighed, changed out of her day clothes and rubbed oil along her skin. Five minutes after she was in her nightgown, there was a knock on the door. It could only be Fiyero.

"Fiyero, it's getting late…" Elphaba opened the door slowly.

"And that's exactly why you should come sleep. Upstairs. With me. The bed is huge. You won't even know I'm there if you don't want to."

Elphaba had never been in a bed larger than a small twin bed. Nor had she ever been in one that was as comfortable as the bed she imagined Fiyero had in that room. But she was a servant. Well, not exactly, not here. And when would she get this chance again? She was sure the beds at Shiz weren't that nice and she'd never get to sleep in a nice bed at Kiamo Ko. "You'll stand at the door forever if I don't."

He smiled and grabbed her hand. "Let's go."

The bed was so high off the ground she worried she wouldn't be able to climb into it. Once she was on the bed, she felt her body sink into the mattress. This was different than the thin, springy mattress she'd had at Kiamo Ko. Much different. It was dangerously comfortable.

And when he kissed her, it felt dangerously good. Perhaps he had only meant it to be a brief kiss, but she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him towards her, practically falling back onto the bed. He responded eagerly, teasing at her lips with his tongue. One of his hands slid up and cupped her cheek. After a moment it slid down her neck, and lower…

She bit back a moan. Sweet Oz, if it felt this good when he touched her with her nightdress on, she could only imagine what it felt like if there wasn't any cloth between them, or if he touched her even lower. They were finally away from Kiamo Ko, maybe she should just let him. She wanted to. She wanted to badly.

But she wouldn't tell him to. And he wouldn't ever move that fast, even though she knew he wanted to. Because he respected her too much. For once, she wished he didn't. She wouldn't refuse him. Still, she was too afraid to start it herself. So when he smiled at her gently ten minutes later and kissed her nose, she simply smiled back. There would be plenty of time at Shiz.

"Um," he looked at her a little awkwardly, "do you want to sleep close to me or…?"

She didn't know the answer. Did she want him to hold her while she slept? She had never been held like that. How could she know if she would like it? So she said, "I'll go with the first option."

He laughed and pulled her towards him. They were facing the same direction, curled up against each other, his arm around her waist. It felt nice. But it also felt hot. After an hour, she carefully pulled away and moved over a few inches, so she was still close, but not that close. She'd have to adjust.

He didn't say anything about it when they woke up the next morning. She hopped off the bed. "I should go change in my room." Her things were still downstairs.

"I'll meet you for breakfast?"

She nodded.

Breakfast was the second most delicious meal she'd ever eaten, second only to the dinner she'd had the previous evening. This time she ate slower to savor the taste, and to take time to actually have a conversation with Fiyero.

"What classes are you taking, anyway?"

"The basics at first. We all have to take most of the same first-year classes. Unless, of course, we're so smart that we get enrolled in sorcery, the most complicated subject."

Elphaba flushed. She still wasn't sure if she'd actually _like_ sorcery, but she was proud to have been chosen to be in the class. She hoped she was good at sorcery. It was the one thing she knew almost nothing about.

In general, though, she wasn't worried about classes. She was worried about her living situation. She had never even spent any time with girls her own age (not counting the other servant girls, who didn't much talk to her anyway). She didn't know that she _liked_ girls her own age, either, not if they were anything like the servant girls. They were so self-involved. She envied Fiyero and his single apartment. Well, now that she was comfortable sleeping the same bed with him, she doubted Fiyero would object if she wanted to spend the night. At least she'd have somewhere to escape to. But she didn't know when she'd ever really be _alone_. And she needed that. A lot of that.

"Another day and we're there, right?"

"Yes," he smiled. "Think of all the people we'll meet."

Suddenly she felt… concerned. With all these other people to talk to, why would he have any interest in this mere servant girl? Why did she care? Elphaba shook her head.

"What is it?"

"Nothing." She wouldn't tell him her insecurities.

He cocked his head at her. She knew he didn't believe her. "Really, what?"

"I was just thinking…" Elphaba tried to find a way to word this so it didn't sound like it was just her being silly and girlish. "Maybe we'll find some many people to talk to, we won't want to talk to each other as much."

Fiyero reached across the table and put his hand over hers. "I should hope you wouldn't feel that way. Somehow I don't think any other person at Shiz will have quite the opinion you do, or the personality. It isn't just that you're smart. And I hope for you it's more than that, too."

She felt oddly reassured. Why was she being so ridiculous about this? "It's not."

"Good."

But now she was worried about something else. Yes, she had cared before, but she was starting to realize that she was _really_ caring. That could be a problem.


	15. Chapter 15: Discretion

**Chapter Fifteen: Discretion**

The grasses at Shiz were kept well watered and well-mowed. Or there was some sorcery keeping them that intense green. The girls' dorms were on one side of campus, a single building five stories high. The boys' dorms were on the opposite side (probably to discourage any visiting). The apartments were besides the boys' dorms.

When they got there, she helped him unpack in his apartment. It was about as big as his bedroom at Kiamo Ko (which meant it was huge). It had a bedroom, a bathroom and a kitchen/living area. He didn't see why she couldn't just stay there with him... Once they finished making his apartment feel more like home, he insisted on walking with her over to the dorms.

"Fiyero, I thought we were going to be discreet."

"I just don't understand why." And he didn't. It wasn't like anyone here was going to go back and tell his parents about them.

"This is a new place, a new situation. We should at least start without being obvious until we're comfortable here."

"I guess I understand that. And that makes me think of something else. These people don't need to know you're a servant. You aren't, not while you're here. And you don't deserve to be treated like one." This had been a thought he'd had for a while.

"That's fine. But exactly how are we supposed to say we know each other? Fiyero, we can't make up a whole new past."

"We met on the way here. You had gone out to the Vinkus for some reason or another and we shared a carriage out here."

"I don't know, Fiyero." Elphaba sounded skeptical. "Let's just not talk about it unless someone asks, okay?"

"Fair enough." They had reached her room and were standing outside of it. Elphaba seemed reluctant to go in. He realized then that he was the only person remotely near her age that she'd ever really talked to. This might be scary for her – not that she'd ever admit that. Gently he said, "Let's get you unpacked."

Elphaba sighed and opened the door. Her roommate was already there. She was blonde and blue-eyed. Fiyero had heard that Gilikinese girls were the most beautiful girls, but he didn't see it. It was a conventional sort of beauty. Elphaba's looks stirred something in him that no conventional girl could. Fiyero was bothered when he noticed Elphaba's new roommate staring at her.

"Hi…" The girl looked at Elphaba, unsure what to make of her. She was looking at her as though she had some sort of disease. And she was looking at Fiyero with some confusion, too.

"Hi," Elphaba said stiffly.

"You must be my roommate." The girl shook herself out of her apprehension and put on a sweet smile. "My name is Galinda."

"I'm Elphaba."

"And who is your… friend?"

"Oh, this is Fiyero."

"Hi," Fiyero shrugged.

"You must be from the Vinkus," Galinda observed.

"I am."

"He's a prince," Elphaba blurted out, clearly unsure of how to speak to this girl.

Galinda raised her eyebrows.

"Of the Arjiki tribe," he explained.

"And where are _you_ from?" Galinda asked Elphaba.

"That's a good question and I wish I had the answer." Elphaba didn't say any more than that. She didn't seem to realize that she would confuse the girl.

"What in Oz do you mean?"

"I… well, I grew up in a mauntery. I never knew my parents. So I have no idea where I'm from." Elphaba shrugged.

"That must be dreadful!"

"I don't particularly care."

This was going to be a very strained living situation. He could tell already. Just looking at the two girls it was clear they were different. And sure, some differences were always good, but there was nothing these two would ever have in common. Fiyero thought it'd be a good idea to change the subject. "So, Galinda, are you excited for classes to start in a few days?"

Galinda shrugged. "I guess. I'm more excited to meet people. And that reminds me, I met these two girls who I promised to go visit today. I hate to leave so suddenly…" The blonde girl grabbed her purse and fled the room.

"Somehow I think I'm going to be spending a lot of time visiting you," Elphaba said once she was gone.

"I was hoping you would spend a lot of time visiting me whether or not you got along with your roommate."

"I would've! But maybe I'll spend the night more often."

Now _that_ he liked the sound of. Sweet Oz, if she could've known the things that had gone through his head the other night when she had been in his bed. He'd wanted to do things to her he hadn't even imagined before. He still did. And the signals she was sending made him wonder if maybe she was feeling that, too. But he didn't want to scare her away. "I'm perfectly fine with that," he grinned.

"I thought you would be." Elphaba laughed.

He wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her.

"Oh!" Galinda walked back in the room. "I'm sorry… I forgot my…" She grabbed something off of her desk and ran out of the room even faster than she had before.

Elphaba glared at Fiyero. "Well, there goes being discreet."

"She won't tell anyone."

"I'll bet she's telling her new friends right now what a freak her roommate is. And that she just walked in on her freak roommate making out with a Vinkun prince. She doesn't seem like the quiet type."

"She was pretty quiet a few minutes ago."

"That's because she's afraid of me. And don't you go denying that, Fiyero. You saw it, too. I know you did. Not that it's a problem. At least it means she won't bother me too much."

He sighed. "She didn't seem that fond of you. But Elphaba, you weren't exactly the most approachable…"

"I don't have a lot of practice with these things, Fiyero. And maybe I don't want to be approachable. The minute I saw the way she looked at me, I didn't want to talk to her."

He shook his head at her. While part of him wanted her all to himself, he also wanted her to at least make a few friends, though she didn't seem to want to. "I'm sure there are less judgmental people around here. Give it time."

"I will." Elphaba finally looked around the room, and so did he.

Her roommate's bedspread was pink and ruffled. Elphaba would be using the sheets provided to her by the school, plain beige. They each had a desk, a bookshelf and a chest of drawers. There were two closets and a bathroom off to the side, smaller than any bathroom he'd ever seen. There was a door to another room. He went over to it.

"I think that's where her Ama is staying. We best not bother her. She'll come in here on her own, I suppose. They probably assigned me to room with her because I had no Ama and she had one."

Fiyero knew what an Ama was, but he didn't understand why they were necessary. Why did girls need chaperones? Elphaba certainly did not need to be taken care of. And he doubted this Ama, whoever she was, would bother much with her, anyway. Her main charge was that flighty blonde thing that had run out the door moments ago. After all, she hadn't even bothered to come out and meet Elphaba.

He wasn't sure how Elphaba's living situation would work out, but at least it meant she'd spend more time with him. Fiyero looked back over at her. Then again, the more time he spent with her, the more he worried he'd do something drastic.


	16. Chapter 16: Can't Get What You Want

**Chapter Sixteen: You Can't Always Get What You Want**

Elphaba wondered if her roommate was ever going to say anything to her about what she'd seen between Fiyero and her. She didn't want her to. In fact, Elphaba didn't want the girl to say anything to her. She spent her time as close to the window next to her bed as possible, staring across campus. It was busy. Students walked this way and that. She saw Munchkins and Gilikinese. She even saw a few Quadlings. But she was the only green girl. And Fiyero was the only Vinkun. It was a shame. His dark skin and the tattoos were so very… interesting. The world could use more of that.

Classes hadn't started yet. Galinda spent as much time out of the room as possible, her Ama usually trailing behind. Before they left, Ama Clutch would look at Elphaba and tell her to be good. That was really all the woman had ever said to her.

But Galinda's friends must've been busy tonight, because she was sitting across the room, staring into the mirror she had brought. Elphaba hated mirrors. There had been none in the mauntery. And it wasn't like she needed reminding of her abnormality. When she walked by the mirror she would literally close her eyes.

It was stuffy in the room. The two of them sitting in silence was too much tension for Elphaba to bear. "I'm going to Fiyero's." She had to at least tell the girl or her Ama where she was going. Otherwise the woman would lecture her later.

"Your boyfriend?" Galinda asked.

"He's not…" They hadn't put a label on it. But that was essentially what it was, wasn't it? They were exclusive (a thought she found amusing considering he was promised to that Sarima girl).

"He's not? That kiss you two were sharing was pretty friendly."

Elphaba sighed. "It's complicated. And none of your business. Really. I'm going, okay? I might stay the night." She left, ignoring the way the blonde's eyes widened when she had said she was spending the night.

Students stared at her when she walked across campus. She had noticed them stare at Fiyero, too. But the way they stared at her was different. Fiyero's differentness was easily explained by where he was from. Hers was not. She pulled her cloak tighter around her and quickened her pace.

He opened the door seconds after she knocked, smiling at her. "It's getting dark."

Elphaba gestured to the schoolbag over her shoulder. "I brought my nightdress. If it's okay, maybe I'll stay here tonight? I can't stand just sitting there while she stares at herself in the mirror all night."

"Is that really all she's doing?"

"It's all she's done for the past hour. I'm not kidding."

He snorted and sat down on the small couch in the main room that was attached to his kitchen as she removed her cloak and did the same. "So, in regards to what happened the other day, are we still even going to bother with being discreet?"

"I think we should. Fiyero, I don't _want_ to be affectionate in public. Don't get me wrong, I like… those things, but I'm not too fond of the idea of kissing you, even lightly, in front of anyone. This is just us. No one else needs to get involved. We don't have to obsess about hiding the way we would at Kiamo Ko, but I'd still not like the world to know."

"Kissing me now is okay, though?"

She flushed. "It's more than okay."

And so he did. She felt his hands on her, his tongue on hers. Her heart pounded. She felt so warm, so warm that she wanted to tear her clothes off. Sweet Oz, what was happening to her? Was this a hormonal female thing or was it just what he did to her? She wanted to find out.

He began unbuttoning her blouse. But his hands were cold and she jumped. He noticed and slowed down. She saw his eyes change and her heart dropped. He was going to stop, wasn't he?

"I'm sorry, Elphaba. I didn't mean to get carried away."

She opened her mouth to tell him that he was welcome to get as carried away as he wanted, but nothing would come out.

He kissed her lips softly and began to stand up. "I… I'm going to go… take a cold shower."

At least she was affecting him like he affected her. "No, Fiyero…"

He looked at her and cocked his head.

"You didn't do anything wrong. Your hands were cold, that's all."

He paused for a moment and then started laughing. "Well, then I'm still sorry. I'm sorry my hands were cold. Shall we sit by the fire where it's warmer?"

She smiled. "Yes. If you're going to remove any of my clothing, I'd like to at least be warm somehow."

He grabbed a fleece blanket and tossed it closer to the fire. "Oh, I'd keep you plenty warm."

She raised her eyebrows playfully. "Oh, you would?" Elphaba sat down on the blanket, the top two buttons of her blouse still open. "Warm your hands by the fire and show me how, then." She didn't have to say directly what she wanted, and so long as she could talk around it maybe she could get it without having to say as much.

Fiyero looked at her. She could see how eager he was in his eyes, and not only there. He sat beside her and held his hands close to the fire. After a moment he said, "I think my hands are warm now," and kissed her again. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she let him lay her out on the blanket. His hands went back to her blouse, and they were, in fact, much warmer. They sent fire through her veins. He kissed down her neck as he finished with her blouse.

Elphaba laughed lightly as he fiddled with some clasps and failed to get them unhooked. She reached back and dealt with them herself. Sometimes she forgot he was just as inexperienced as she was. With the way he made her feel, it certainly didn't seem like that.

He rested a hand against the flat of her stomach and slowly slid it upwards. She couldn't hide her moan when he found his destination. And a moment later when his mouth joined his hand, she was amazed she didn't cry out. Her breathing was ragged as his tongue traveled her skin and his teeth nipped at the taut flesh of her breasts. She began unbuttoning his shirt, too.

She was pleased to discover the way the diamonds traveled down his chest. He stopped his teasing and looked at her, smiling. She found herself counting the diamonds on his chest, pressing her forefinger against each one. There were twelve on his chest, two on his neck and three on his face. Elphaba wondered if they went lower. The one just above his navel made her think that they did. She kissed it, teasing him.

His mouth opened slightly and he grinned at her. Fiyero pushed her skirt up to her thighs. "I want you so badly."

She could only nod.

Gently he tugged at her panties, sliding them down her thighs, over her knees, down her calves and finally off. He looked into her eyes and smiled when she opened her legs further. She felt his hands on her inner thighs. Sweet Oz, she wanted him to touch her. The slightest brush of his finger made her moan so loud she worried the next apartment could hear her. When he pressed one finger, then two, inside of her, she had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep from squealing. It was so good it was almost painful.

She touched his cheek as he began to move his fingers, slowly, but he quickly sped up when she pressed her hips against his hand, begging. "Please."

He continued, faster and faster until she grabbed the blanket and cried out into it to muffle her screams, pleasure overwhelming her. Fiyero withdrew his fingers gently. "Elphaba…"

She reached to help him out of the rest of his clothes, but he stopped her. Elphaba's face fell. "What?"

"I want you. You have no idea how badly I want you."

"I think I do," she grinned and touched between his legs.

His eyes widened. "We… You are making this so hard."

"I know, I can feel it," she laughed. She was trying to pretend he wasn't about to stop what they were doing. She wanted him to take her there on that blanket. Elphaba had never wanted anything so urgently before.

Fiyero backed himself away slightly. "Please don't take this the wrong way. I want to. And I'm ready. And clearly you're indicating that you want to. But…"

"What is it, Fiyero?"

"We just got here, Fae. We just finally got the chance to be truly alone. So we're rushing. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying we should wait that much longer, but I want you to think about it when you are away from me. I want you to tell me before I start kissing you that you want it. That could be the next time we see each other for all I know. I just want to know that we're not just getting carried away and that we really want this."

"I have wanted it."

"Tell me that, then. Next time. Now, really, Elphaba, I need to take a cold shower. Please don't be offended. I hate myself for stopping this and I hope that you'll come back to me maybe even tomorrow night and tell me you want to. But until then, I don't feel right about it." He kissed her lips and went to the bathroom.

Elphaba watched him walk away and began to sit up, flushing when she realized how damp the insides of her thighs were and that there was a wet spot on the blanket. He was going to make her say it? It wasn't fair. It wasn't as though she wasn't used to not getting what she wanted. But this was different. It hurt.


	17. Chapter 17: Curiosities

**Chapter Seventeen: Curiosities**

When he got out of the shower, she was in her nightclothes and on the bed. She didn't say anything to him. He knew she wasn't happy with him. In truth, he wasn't happy with him. His body absolutely hated him right now. But he wanted to be sure. Well, he was sure. He wanted her to be. If she regretted it in the least afterwards, she might run from him. He couldn't risk that. At the moment, however, she was in his bed and he wasn't sure he could sleep in that full-sized bed beside her without going crazy. But he sat down on it anyway.

"You realize tomorrow is the day before school starts," she said softly.

"I do. What about it?"

"I can't stay the night tomorrow night. Not the day before classes start!"

He wanted to smile. Nothing was going to change the way she was about schooling. But smiling might seem strange. And he was disappointed. Fiyero sighed. "Whenever you're ready."

"I was ready." She rested a hand on his chest. "I was very, very ready."

"Next time, then." He put his hand over hers. "Elphaba, I'm sorry."

"Sometimes I wonder if you even want to."

"You know I wanted to! Don't give me that. I think it was obvious enough."

A smile played at her lips at that and she looked at him. For a moment he was afraid she was going to try to tempt him. He knew there'd be no stopping him if she got him started again. But a moment later she simply laid back in the bed. "I guess I can believe that, then."

"I…" He caught himself. Saying "I love you" now was a bad idea. After what had just happened, it was stupid. And it would scare her. Besides, things were just too complicated. Saying that would only make them more complicated. "Maybe next time," he said, both to her and to himself.

She looked at him strangely. "You said that already, Fiyero. And it's late and you had me all worked up and now I'm tired."

He didn't know how he planned to sleep with the images of her running through his head. The look on her face when he'd touched her had been the most fantastic thing. He could only hope he didn't have any dreams about her. "I understand. Goodnight." Fiyero closed the lights.

The next morning, they ate breakfast peacefully, talking about what their schedules were. Fiyero was pleased to know they had at least three classes together. At least if he needed help, he'd have someone to study with – that is, if he could focus. Maybe once they actually got the act over with he wouldn't be so focused on it. It was a longshot, but he still had to hope. He did like their conversations just as much as he liked touching her (or her touching him). They didn't speak about the previous night. She left after breakfast.

He went over to the fireplace and picked the blanket up off the floor. It might need to be washed, although part of him didn't want to wash it. Fiyero shook his head and tried to get the images out of his mind.

She didn't come at all the next day. He wasn't surprised. Elphaba was probably poring over her books getting ready for classes to begin. He tried to do the same, but he could not seem to stay focused. He spent almost the entire day daydreaming about her.

The first class on Monday morning was one they shared. He got there early. She had gotten there earlier. Fiyero took the seat beside her. "Good morning."

She had her nose in her book. Elphaba looked up and smiled at him. "Good morning." She looked around. No one had entered the lecture hall. She folded her arms across her chest. "And by the way, I'm still ready, I still want to. Insert whatever it is you wanted to hear from me, okay?"

Fiyero almost laughed. She said it, and he knew she meant it, but she just seemed frustrated with him. Instead, he smiled at her. "I'm glad to hear that. Want to stop by my apartment after class?"

"For Oz's sake, no! We will take our time with this. And that means it's not happening during the school week. I need to study. There's a reason it would've been easier the other night. Now that classes have started, Oz only knows how much I might need to study on the weekends, too."

"Then we'll study together." He intended a few other activities, as well.

She raised her eyebrows at him. Clearly, Elphaba saw right through him. "We'll see."

At that point, several other students came in. One of them was Elphaba's roommate, who was being trailed by a Munchkin boy who was practically drooling after her. She saw Elphaba but pretended she didn't. Galinda decided to sit several rows behind them, the little Munchkin boy sat beside her. Two other girls sat on the other side of her. Galinda was ignoring the Munchkin boy and whispering with the two girls instead. Fiyero felt bad for the Munchkin. He started waving at him, trying to get him to come sit with them.

"What are you doing?" Elphaba hissed.

"He's all alone."

"No he's not, he's next to Galinda."

"He might as well be alone!"

Elphaba buried her face in her hands. "Why are you doing this?"

He didn't understand what bothered her so much. After a moment, the young Munchkin noticed him, looked at him strangely and walked over to them.

"Hi…" The boy had brown hair and brown eyes. He was plain.

"Hi. I'm Fiyero. I just noticed you seemed kind of depressed sitting over there by Galinda." Fiyero realized that maybe he'd been much too friendly. How did things work out here? "I just got here from the Vinkus. I hope I don't seem strange."

The boy seemed unfazed. "You know Galinda?"

"Sort of. She's Elphaba's roommate."

Elphaba hadn't said anything up to this point. She glared at Fiyero. "Not by choice."

Fiyero sighed and turned back to the Munchkin. "What's your name?"

"Boq." The boy stuttered a little.

"Nice to meet you. Please, sit down." Fiyero gestured to the seat next to him. "How'd you meet Galinda?"

"Shen-Shen and I knew each other from Munchkinland," Boq pointed at one of Galinda's confidantes. She did seem pretty short, now that Fiyero thought about it. "She introduced me. Isn't Galinda so beautiful?"

Fiyero saw Elphaba trying her best not to look like she wanted to hear his answer. It made him happy, in a strange way, to know she at least cared. "Beautiful is different in the Vinkus."

"What's it like out there?"

"It's warm." Fiyero looked over to Elphaba. "When Elphaba first got out there she hated how hot it was."

Elphaba gave him yet another glare.  
>"You're from the Vinkus, too?" Boq asked Elphaba.<p>

"No."

"She was hired to teach my siblings. My parents thought she was so intelligent, they helped her pay for school." He thought using the word "hired" made her sound less like a servant. "She's from the City."

Boq's eyes widened. "That sounds cool. It must've been so interesting!"

"You could say that," Elphaba might have smiled the slightest bit. He wasn't sure.

"You're the only person from the Vinkus I've seen here," Boq said to Fiyero.

"Not a lot of Vinkuns are lucky enough to get to Shiz. My family is just… wealthy enough to be able to send me." He decided that mentioning his royalty could wait a little.

"Not a lot of Munchkins could afford it, either. We barely could. My parents wanted me to go to Shiz so bad that they're eating nothing but what they can grow on their farm until it's all paid for."

Elphaba's face changed at that. It looked like maybe she was sympathetic. Or jealous. Perhaps because she'd never had parents to show that they loved her?

"That's intense. Is it hot in Munchkinland?" Fiyero was curious.

"Mostly just dry." Boq shrugged.

At that point, a Goat walked into the room. Several students started whispering loudly. He heard the word "Animal" many times. When the Goat cleared his throat, there was complete silence. Classes had begun.


	18. Chapter 18: Having Fun

**Chapter Eighteen: Having Fun**

She was so angry with him. All week, as much as she had tried to pay attention in classes, she hadn't been really focused. Compared to the other students, she was overly focused, but for her, it was not nearly enough. Instead, thoughts danced through her head of Fiyero, of his hands, of his eyes. He was the most frustrating person she had ever met.

As much as she wanted to study the moment she got back to her room, she knew she'd never really be herself again until she could get him out of her system… or into her system? Maybe once it was over with, she'd be the same student she knew she had been before. So she grabbed her bag, threw some clothes in it and headed towards the door. "I'm staying at Fiyero's tonight."

"Elphaba…" Her roommate's voice was quiet, but intense.

"What is it?"

"Be careful." Galinda lowered her eyes.

She didn't understand what exactly that meant, but she nodded and walked out the door. Elphaba had her hood pulled up over her head already. In the past week or so, she'd realized it was the best way to avoid staring. People had stared in the City, but she had been out so rarely that she didn't notice. Now it was obvious. She kept her head down as she strode towards the apartment building.

The look in his eyes when he opened the door made it clear that he was waiting eagerly for the same thing she was. But she wasn't going to just declare that was the reason she was there! "Do you want to go over the homework for life sciences?"

"Um, sure. Let's do that." She followed him to the bedroom, where she pulled up a chair and sat beside him at his desk. He looked at her. "What did you think of class?"

"It was very informative. He got right to the point. Every other teacher babbled on about themselves or dealt with administrative things all day."

"I don't think everyone agreed with you."

"They just don't like him because he's an Animal and they've been fed propaganda against Animals for years."

"It's surprising he's even working here, with the state of things."

"He's intelligent. I don't mind learning from him. The only thing I care about is if my professors know what they're talking about."

"Well, I'm starting to think we're the only people who care about anything that matters out here." Fiyero put his hand on hers.

She looked at him. It was clear in his face what was about to happen. But she still always found herself catching her breath when he kissed her. Elphaba dropped the pencil that was in her hand and wrapped both arms around his neck. Finally.

He pulled her hand and got her to stand up and dragged her, still kissing, towards the bed. She found herself pressed against it and he leaned her down onto it. "I have been thinking about this all week," he breathed.

She didn't tell him that she had been, too. This time she was wearing a dress, and he began to unzip it slowly. He kissed his way down her back as he did so. When he'd fully unzipped her, he helped her pull her hands out of her sleeves and tug the dress over her head. "I think you need to lose some clothes, too." And so she unbuttoned his shirt.

This time he got the clasps right. She hadn't even finished taking his shirt off when his mouth reached the base of her neck, nipping at the skin. When his mouth moved down, she dropped her hands and arched her back, moaning lightly. He finished removing his shirt as he kissed his way down her body. When he reached her navel, he smiled up at her.

She shivered as he finished undressing her. And when his mouth moved even lower, she gasped. He only stayed there a moment, but that moment made her writhe beneath his mouth in ecstasy. Sweet Oz, if this was even a hint at what was to come… Elphaba sat up and grabbed at his pants, pulling them off of him eagerly. He helped her and kissed her gently when she blushed.

And then he was above her. Elphaba lifted her hips as he entered her, hissing at the mix of pleasure and pain. The pain only lasted a moment, and he stopped. "Are you okay?"

She nodded. "I am now." Elphaba felt him thrust slowly inside of her and she mewled. This is what the nuns had warned her against daily for so many years? Clearly they'd never actually experienced it. She hid her face in his chest and cried out against one of the many beautiful diamonds tattooed on him. Her body began to tingle.

Fiyero buried himself within her time and time again and the tingling got more and more intense. If he stopped now, she'd never forgive him. She met each thrust eagerly. She knew that some sort of explosion of pleasure was coming. It built within her. Her heart pounded. And finally, that burning, tingling sensation reached its peak. Elphaba's fists clenched. Her toes flexed. Her body trembled. Every muscle in her body tightened. And she screamed. She practically collapsed a moment later, as Fiyero groaned and pulled her against him. "Sweet Oz, Fae."

She looked up at him, still gasping for air. He climbed off of her and fell onto the bed beside her. Elphaba's body felt empty without him.

He turned towards her and propped his head up on his elbow. "You feel amazing." Fiyero brought one hand to her ribs and traced along her stomach, grinning lazily. "If I had the energy, we'd be doing that again now."

"I don't think I could take it," she murmured, touching his chin.

He looked down. She followed his gaze. There was a little pinkish fluid between her thighs. Blood and fluid. "You didn't tell me it hurt like that."

"It didn't." It hadn't. It was like a pin prick. She hadn't even imagined it would make her bleed, although looking at him and then back at herself, it only made sense. And she was educated enough to know that girls often bled the first time. But she wasn't a normal girl.

"Are you sure?"

"Did it seem like I was in pain, Fiyero?"

He laughed, a stupid smile on his face. "I guess not."

"I am starving," Elphaba realized.

"I'm exhausted. I just want to fall asleep. There are some things in the kitchen."

Elphaba nodded. She grabbed Fiyero's shirt off the floor and threw it over her head and headed into the kitchen. She made herself a bowl of soup and ate quietly. So this was what it felt like. Was it only because it felt good that the maunts thought it to be so sinful? Well, it was sinful so long as you weren't married. She wasn't and _that_ would never happen. This was temporary. But she knew it might be her only chance, and he'd been so _good_. She didn't regret it.

When she wandered back into the bedroom, he was still awake. He smiled at her. "Are you tired now?"

"No particularly. But I'll try to fall asleep with you." Elphaba climbed onto the bed beside him.

"Can I have my shirt back?"

"You're going to wear your normal shirt to bed?"

"No, I just want you naked."

Elphaba snorted and threw the shirt back onto the floor. "Happy?"

He grinned. "Of course. Now come here."

Elphaba lay beside him and he wrapped an arm around her. She rested her head on his chest and felt him breathe. For a moment, she didn't worry. She was peaceful and content.

"I love you."

Well, that ruined it. Elphaba tried not to jump up and run from him. Instead she swallowed heavily and yawned. "Good night, Fiyero."

"Good night, Fae."

It was twenty minutes later when he fell asleep. She snuck out of the bed and threw her clothes back on. She grabbed her bag and left. Maybe she would've stayed the night if he hadn't had to say… that. He couldn't love her. She couldn't love him. And so she ran instead.

When she got back into the room, Galinda (who had obviously been asleep) sat up. "Elphaba?"

"I'm sorry I woke you."

"I thought you were staying the night at Fiyero's."

"I changed my mind."

Galinda studied her for a moment. "Something happened. Something that upset you."

"Aren't you perceptive?" Elphaba snapped.

"I don't mean to be rude, but I'm pretty good with boys. Tell me what happened. I can help."

Elphaba stared at her. "You don't even know the whole story."

"I don't need to. What did he do?"

Elphaba turned away and looked out the window. "He said something. That's all."

"Oh, that's no big deal, Elphie!" Where had she come up with that nickname? "Men say stupid things all the time. If he insulted you or hurt your feelings, I'm sure he didn't mean to."

"Oh, he meant what he said. That's the problem."

"Just tell me what he said."

Elphaba sat back down on her bed. She might as well talk to someone. Fiyero was the only person she had to talk to and clearly talking to him about this was not an option. "He told me he loves me."

Galinda just gaped at her for a moment. "And the problem with that is…?"

"You don't understand! He can't love me. I can't love him."

"I certainly don't understand."

"Look, Galinda, I'll make it simple. They arrange marriages in the Vinkus. He's not arranged to be married to _me_. Is that easy enough to figure out?"

"Then why are you guys together in the first place?"

"Because I don't _care_. Marriage is just a formality out there. We're just having fun. That's it."

"I don't think so."

"No, you're right. It's not just having fun. Not now. He ruined it."

"I don't think it ever has been." Galinda sat next to Elphaba on the bed. "I've seen the way you look at him."

Elphaba shook her head. "No."

"You care about him, Elphaba."

"I can't."

"But you do."

Elphaba buried her face in her hands. "I can't. I'm just… I just can't."

Galinda rested a hand on Elphaba's shoulder. "It's too late for that now."

"And that's what I'm scared of."


	19. Chapter 19: Can't

**Chapter Nineteen: Can't**

Like he had said, he did wake early. However, she was not beside him. He looked around the room frantically. Her things were gone. She was gone. What in Oz? Fiyero leapt out of the bed and went into the other room, wondering if maybe she'd just decided to get dressed and study on the couch. She wasn't there. Had he said something strange in his sleep? He threw some clothes on and went the first place he could think of to find her.

He knocked loudly on her door. Galinda opened it. "You want to see Elphie?"

_Elphie?_ Fiyero would ask about that little nickname later. "Yes. I do."

"Come in." Galinda stepped away from the door.

Elphaba was, as always, sitting at her desk with an open notebook. The page she was staring at, however, was blank. She looked at him as he entered. "You look flustered. Are you okay?"

She was going to act like she hadn't just up and left him in the middle of the night? "We need to talk."

Galinda grabbed her purse, which was sitting by the door, almost as if she'd expected she'd have to leave quickly. "I'll be downstairs with some friends in room 104 if you need me, Elphaba." And she left.

_If you need me?_ Since when had they become friends? This wasn't the time to ask about that. As the door shut, he turned to Elphaba. "So, what time did you flee last night?"

Elphaba rolled her eyes. "About twenty minutes after you fell asleep. Why?"

"Why? Because you left in the middle of the night and I want to know why!"

She wouldn't meet his eyes. "I felt awkward staying the night."

"You've stayed before." He paused as a thought dawned on him and he walked up to her and sat beside her. "Did you… were you freaked out because made love, Elphaba?"

"The sex didn't freak me out, Fiyero."

"Then why in Oz did you do that?"

"I'm not allowed to leave?"

"I'd appreciate being told first. Now stop avoiding the question. Why did you leave?"

Elphaba hugged herself. "Fiyero, you can't love me."

It was about that. He should've known. "Obviously I can, because I do."

"And what do you expect to happen with this 'love,' Fiyero?"

"I…" He faltered. That was a good question, one he'd been trying to avoid thinking about because he knew there was no good solution.

"You'll get married. Not to me. And maybe you'll fool around with me, if I'm still there. But you _can't_ love me."

"Why not? We talked about this. You don't care if I have to get married. Why should that stop me from loving you? Why should it stop _you_ from loving me?"

"It's not about the fact that you have to get married, Fiyero."

"Then what is it?"

"You are the crown prince of the Arjiki tribe. I am your family's servant. Yes, you can have your fun with me all you want, but you cannot love me. That's not how it works. You know that."

"What am I supposed to do, Fae? Stop loving you? And where does that leave us?"

"The same place we were before you said that. Lovers. But not that kind of love."

"No." He grabbed her hand. "You're afraid. I understand that. If my parents found out that I actually had feelings for you, they'd send you away. Perhaps have you stoned or exiled. But soon I'll be king and that will be my decision, not theirs."

"I was not sent out to the Vinkus to love you, Fiyero."

"You weren't sent out to the Vinkus to make _love_ with me, either, but you did that last night."

"Yes, I did. And I liked it. I liked it a lot. I don't regret it. I never will. But a servant girl can sleep with the prince if the prince wants her to. She cannot love him."

"Forget that you're a servant for just a minute, Elphaba."

"I can't! Not when it comes down to it. Yes, maybe I can pretend when I talk to you, when you kiss me, when you tease my hair, when you're inside me, but I can't pretend when it comes to this. I just can't."

"We're at Shiz. You're not a servant."

"I will be again. And you know that."

Fiyero cursed whatever powers had made her a servant and him a prince. He would've gladly been a commoner if he could just have her. "I love you."

Elphaba sighed. "Maybe you can, Fiyero. But I can't love you. Not because I don't want to, but because I can't."

He looked at her. She did want to. Maybe she did even love him. But he'd never hear those words from her. Somehow he accepted that. "Will you at least let me love you?"

"I have no choice if you ask me to. I still have to obey you."

He realized this was a way out for her. She wanted to let him, but she didn't feel right about it. She was telling him that she wanted him to force her to. Because then at least she could believe she wasn't doing the wrong thing. "Then let me love you."

"I will do as you ask, Prince Fiyero."

"Don't go back to that, Fae."

"Where did 'Fae' come from, anyway?"

He laughed. "I don't know, it just sounded nice to me. Where did 'Elphie' come from?"

Elphaba flushed and glared at him. "Galinda and I had a talk last night. When I snuck back in here, I wasn't in the best state of mind so I actually talked to her. Now I think I have to be her friend."

Fiyero saw right through that. Elphaba wanted a friend. Not that she'd ever admit it. "You talked to her about us?"

"Yes. Why? You're the one who didn't want us to be discreet."

"No, it's not that. I just… I never thought you'd talk to anyone about us. I can barely get you to talk about us with _me_."

"Whatever 'us' is."

"Lovers." He liked the word. It at least implied that they were in love.

"Right. Like I said."

"You won't run from me again?"

"I can't promise you that, Fiyero. You always seem to do things that are a little much. But I won't run if you say that again. You're going to insist on saying it and if I have to put up with it, I will."

"Come back with me, then. Let's make up the time we didn't spend together last night."

"We would've been sleeping anyway, Fiyero."

"I think we might've spent some actual time together in the morning."

"You just want me back in bed with you."

He raised his eyebrows. "And if I do?"

"Then perhaps I will have to 'obey,'" she smiled mischievously. "If I can handle it."

She handled it well. As morning turned to afternoon, he lay in bed holding Elphaba. He laughed when she got up and grabbed her sciences book.

"What? I might as well get some studying done." She was not to be distracted.

Fiyero played with her hair while she read her book despite the irritated looks she gave him. After about ten minutes, he got bored. "I don't understand why you need to study when clearly you know more than the entire class."

She barely glanced at him. "If I want to continue to know more than the entire class, I need to study… Hey! Get your fingers out of there NOW!"

"But…"

"Not while I'm studying!"

Fiyero pouted.

"Haven't you had enough, Fiyero? Is that all I am to you anymore?"

Fiyero sat up. "Don't pull that with me. Not after what I said. This is just so new, that's all."

"I was warned that men get like this. Perhaps I should've listened to the maunts and stayed a virgin." Elphaba rolled her eyes.

Fiyero laughed. "They must hate men in that mauntery."

"They weren't too fond of them."

"Well, it didn't seem to stop you."

"I'm not a maunt."

"Thank Oz. I don't know what I'd do if you wouldn't ever let me touch you."

"If you don't let me study, I'll go back and become a maunt."

"I'm pretty sure you have to be a virgin."

"Oh, I don't think so. Not from a few things I heard there. I think you just can't do it anymore."

He sighed and got up to find his own book. If she wasn't going to participate, he'd find a different way to connect with her. Besides, he actually needed to study a little bit. Dr. Dillamond had mentioned a pop quiz. But no class was nearly as interesting to him as the woman beside him.


	20. Chapter 20: Admit It

**Chapter Twenty: Admit It**

She would only ever let him do more than kiss her on weekends. Elphaba could not afford to be distracted on weekdays. Unlike him, after sex she felt energized and hungry. On those weekends, she had trouble falling asleep. She needed her sleep on the weekdays if she wanted to focus during classes. It was hard enough to pay attention with him next to her. And she had Galinda chattering at her all afternoons on weekdays, too.

Elphaba had just barely finished her life sciences homework and closed her book. She wanted to relax for a moment and sit down on her bed. What she really wanted was not to think. But of course not.

"Are you and Fiyero better now?" Galinda looked up from her notebook as she sat curled up on her bed, writing with a pink pen with a feather hanging off of it.

"For the most part." Elphaba hoped she'd drop it.

"I don't understand what is so wrong about him loving you. You said his marriage is arranged. But no one can do anything about you loving each other, especially since you don't care if he gets married."

Elphaba sighed. She realized that she had a little bit of explaining to do. "They can, though. Galinda, Fiyero left a few things out. And I haven't exactly told you anything, either. Yes, I knew him before. I was in the Vinkus. That much is true. But I was his family's servant. I'm not just their schoolmarm, although I did that, too. But a schoolmarm out there is a servant. I worked in the kitchens, too. They only sent me out here to learn so I could better teach the rest of the children. So you see, if Fiyero's parents found out how he really felt about me, they'd kill me. Or at least exile me. He can't love a servant. They'd never allow that. He could love some common village woman if he wanted. But he can't love me."

Galinda blinked and nodded slowly. "That is more complicated."

Elphaba snorted. "Obviously."

"That just seems so unfair. He's a prince. Can't he tell his parents to leave you alone?"

"His father is the king. He's just a prince. He can't tell them to do anything. He has no control until he is the king. And by then…"

"It'll be too late. You can't hide something like love. They'll find out."

"Exactly. That's why I can't love him."

"But you do."

"I don't."

Galinda folded her arms across her chest. "You need a reality check, Elphie. You are obviously in denial. And I guess I can't blame you. But you want to know what I think?"

"Not really." Elphaba knew that Galinda would tell her anyway.

"I think you should enjoy this now. I think you need to admit how you feel. There's nothing you can do. You said so yourself. So be happy with him. Love him. I don't know what to tell you to do if and when you do get found out. But you need to come to terms with it and just admit it."

Elphaba would have none of it. "There's nothing to admit, Galinda. Maybe Fiyero's stupid enough to love me, but I know better."

"Knowing better doesn't make a difference in love, Elphie."

Elphaba looked at her hands. So maybe she did have more feelings for Fiyero than lust and friendship. A lot more. But that didn't mean she _loved_ him. "I don't want to get myself killed."

"Isn't it a moot point since he loves you? If they find that out, it doesn't matter whether or not you love him back. You know that, right?"

"I do." Maybe she could run away if they found out. Escape quickly. She didn't know where she'd go. But if she loved him, running would hurt more. Running would be harder. She might hesitate, and that could become a problem. "But I don't love him."

"Have it your way. One day you're going to have to admit it, even if you won't right now."

"Leave it alone, Galinda, please." Elphaba didn't want to think about it anymore.

"If that's what you want." Galinda sighed heavily. "Did you understand that fifth spell in the sorcery homework?"

Once Elphaba and Galinda had finished talking about their sorcery homework, Elphaba begged off and headed over to Fiyero's. She didn't want any more of Galinda's little "hints" about how she supposedly felt. Not that Fiyero would give her much of a break, but he wasn't as pushy. That made her laugh out loud. The idea that Fiyero was less pushy than anyone was humorous. Perhaps less pushy was the wrong wording. He was more respectful of her wishes and left things alone if she asked (for the most part).

"It's a weeknight and it's getting late. You never come over this late." Fiyero let her in, anyway, not about to give up on seeing her.

"Galinda's just irritating me, that's all. I thought about going to the library, but it's really barely a library. Sure, the books are there, but from what I know about libraries, they are supposed to be quiet, not have students making out in corners and girls giggling at obnoxiously high pitches."

"Did you want to stay here tonight, then? We don't have to do anything and we can go to bed at a reasonable time."

She thought for a moment about how nice it would be just to stay there every night, and then caught herself. Elphaba couldn't get used to spending so much time with him. It couldn't stay that way. But one night couldn't hurt, could it? "I could use a break from Galinda's sleep-walking. I swear, her eyes are closed and she still stands in front of the mirror. It's like she instinctively knows where it is."

Fiyero laughed and sat on the couch. She sat beside him and he put an arm around her. She felt herself sinking in to him, closing her eyes. His arms were some comfortable. Her whole body relaxed. Elphaba nuzzled into his neck. "I don't know what I'm going to do about you," she murmured.

"What do you mean?"

"I care about you, Fiyero. And that's just going to cause problems."

He sat up straighter and held her at arms' length, staring into her eyes. "Stop running from this. If we're careful…"

"You don't think your parents will see the way we look at each other? You don't think they'll get suspicious one day?"

"Maybe. Maybe not. But if we can just be really discreet around Kiamo Ko until I'm king…"

"Until after you're married."

"Yes, until after I'm married. I'm sorry, Elphaba."

"I don't care about that. I don't." But she was wondering now if maybe she did. "It'll just be even harder once you're married. I don't know how long it is between when you get married and when you take the throne, but it'll be next to impossible to hide when you have some new wife hanging on your every word, watching your every move."

"Then we'll stay away from each other. Until I'm king."

"That's easier said than done, Fiyero. Especially for you."

He bit his lip. Of course she was right. Even if she could stand to stay away from him and know he was in the same castle as she was, which she wasn't sure about, she knew he couldn't. "I don't know what to tell you. I love you."

"But that's not enough. I wish it was, Fiyero. You loving me isn't going to magically make me into a princess. And it's not going to magically make your parents forget that we're not supposed to be together, not if we have feelings for each other. And I see how your father looks at me, Fiyero. You can tell me all you want that he wants you to sleep with the servant girls. Maybe he does. But I'm not so sure how he feels about _this_ particular servant girl," she gestured to herself.

Something flickered in his eyes.

"You're not supposed to sleep with me, are you? You lied to me."

"I didn't lie so much as not mention that my father told me he'd rather I _not._ He didn't specifically forbid it. He just said he'd be happier if I slept with any of the other servant girls."

She wasn't all that bothered that he had lied to her. Part of her had known it even when he'd said it; she'd just pretended not to know. "So what would happen if he saw us together, even if it wasn't obvious how you or I felt?"

"He'd probably punish you. Not severely, but enough to discourage you from spending time with me. And he'd have a good long talk with me. If it happened again, I don't know. But why do you care, Fae? They're not going to catch us _here_."

"And what about when we go back for the holidays?"

"They never caught us talking."

"Talking is…" Elphaba found herself flushing, "quieter than… that."

She saw him try not to grin at that. "They're on the other side of the castle. And I think we can at least stay away from each other for a week or two. Well, for the most part. The winter holidays are a little longer. And if we did, um, do anything, your room would actually be a better place because if we got caught, it would look better for you. They don't want you in my room. I'm welcome to go where I want."

Elphaba nodded. She wasn't sure she really cared so much about hiding or about how his family felt about it. But she needed to argue. She needed to fight this. She needed to remind herself about the millions of ways it could go wrong so she didn't let herself get carried away.

"I love you, Elphaba."

"I know, Fiyero. But that'll never save us."


	21. Chapter 21: Breaking

**Chapter Twenty-One: Breaking**

Maybe Elphaba was right. It had gone too far, hadn't it? When he'd suggested they start this, it had been a curiosity, a little emotion and, of course, quite a bit of lust. It had probably been the same for her. But it was way more than that now. It had been more than that for quite some time. He had known he cared for her when this had all begun, but he hadn't realized how _much_ he'd come to care. The idea of marrying some other girl, of sleeping with her, of holding her, it just felt wrong. It made him gag a little. How could he go through with it?

But he had to. He knew it, and so did she. What else could he do? Yet he saw in her eyes that she wasn't as happy about it as she pretended to be. Fiyero wanted a future with Elphaba, but his parents would never allow it. He thought day after day, trying to find a way out. After all, he'd found a way to get her to Shiz. This wasn't that easy. Short of running away, they were stuck.

And he couldn't run away. It would break his parents' hearts. He certainly couldn't leave his little siblings alone. Despite the control they exercised over his life, Fiyero loved his parents. But he loved Elphaba, too. He tried to just enjoy it all for now, but his mind wouldn't let him. Every time he lay beside her, every time he held her, he would realize that it was only temporary. It wasn't fair. And Elphaba just accepted it. She was resigned to it. She didn't think she deserved it, anyway. He knew that. Part of him wished he could be like her and just live with it, but he couldn't.

Weeks went by, and they went by much too fast. If time went this fast, he would never have enough time with her. By the time he could even catch his breath, the fall holidays were upon them. They weren't going back to the Vinkus. Because of some sort of proclamation by the Wizard, the fall holidays were only a week long this year and that didn't give them enough time to get back and forth. While his parents were disappointed, Fiyero wasn't. He convinced Elphaba to spend the whole week in his apartment. No one knew, since Galinda was back at home for the fall holidays.

She had so much passion that sometimes it overwhelmed him. Elphaba was not ashamed of her sexuality. If she wanted him, she'd start something that would make it very clear. Somehow he doubted a lot of women were like that. He liked it. Knowing that she wanted him just as much as he wanted her made him happy. Lately she'd even been pretty direct in telling him exactly what she wanted. If she didn't want him to stop, she'd tell him. If she wanted him to put his hands somewhere, she'd put them there for him. He loved how bold she was. That week passed even more quickly than the previous weeks. Before long, they were back in class and he was back to longing for the weekends. She barely spent any time with him at all on weekdays.

That day in life sciences class, Boq inserted himself into the seat between Elphaba and Fiyero. They exchanged confused glances and Elphaba shrugged. "What's going on, Boq?"

"Not a lot. How were the holidays for you? There wasn't a lot of time to go back to the Vinkus, was there? I couldn't get home to Munchkinland. I don't understand why they had to cut the holidays short like that."

"I agree. The holidays were much too short. And my holidays were very good, thank you for asking." Elphaba gave Fiyero a sly smile and he had to redirect his thoughts before he got too distracted.

"I'm glad you had fun. I didn't see you around campus much. I went by your room once or twice."

Fiyero frowned. Why would Boq stop by Elphaba's room? He knew Galinda wasn't around. What did he want with Elphaba?

"I apologize. I was probably so absorbed in my reading that I didn't hear you knock." Elphaba lied. Fiyero knew she hadn't seen the inside of her room all break until she'd returned there the previous evening. She'd barely seen the outside of his apartment, either.

Boq put his hand on Elphaba's desk. "I wanted to see you."

Elphaba looked confused but nodded. "It did get a little lonely." She barely spent a moment alone, and she'd complained about that. At one point he'd gone out for two hours just because he realized she was about to snap if he didn't let her have some time to herself.

Fiyero was unsettled by this conversation and was about to shove himself into it when Dr. Dillamond entered and began lecturing. He wanted to talk to Elphaba about it after class, but she waved him away and insisted on going over her notes by herself during lunch. Boq caught up to him, however.

"Fiyero, I forgot to ask, how were your holidays?"

Of course he'd forgotten to ask. He'd been much too focused on talking to Elphaba. "They were great. I spent a lot of time in my room just relaxing."

"After all that work, I sure could use a break. Did you see Elphaba at all?"

"No," he lied. "Like she said, she basically stayed in her rom. And I basically stayed in mine." He didn't know why he suddenly felt the urge to give Boq a play-by-play on how his week had really gone, but he resisted it.

"Do you know if she's interested in anyone?"

"Interested how?" Fiyero did not like where this conversation was going.

"Interested how?" Boq laughed. "What, do they use different words in the Vinkus? Does she have feelings for anyone?"

Fiyero absolutely hated the fact that they were still hiding and he had to lie. "Not that I know of. She doesn't exactly tell me those things. She might tell Galinda. You could ask her."

"Oh, that's okay." Fiyero knew Boq was too afraid to even talk to Galinda. "Think she'd go to lunch with me some time?"

"I don't know. She really likes to study." At least that wasn't a lie.

"Well, maybe she'd study with me, then."

Fiyero bit his lip hard. "She likes to be alone."

"No harm in asking, right?"

"I guess not." Fiyero was mentally kicking Boq's ass.

On Wednesday when they had life sciences again, Boq did the same thing and sat between Elphaba and Fiyero. Damn Elphaba for always sitting in the corner. Fiyero felt his fists clench and wished he'd gotten to class slightly earlier. But Boq was already there, talking eagerly to Elphaba. And was Fiyero imagining things, or was Boq leaning in a little too close? He wanted to sit as far away from Boq as possible, but he was _not_ leaving Elphaba alone with him, even in a crowded classroom.

"Hi, Fae." Fiyero said loudly.

She raised her eyebrows at him. He'd never called her "Fae" in public. "Hi, Fiyero."

Boq looked up. "Oh, hey, Fiyero. Elphie and I were just discussing the lecture we had on Monday."

So he was calling her "Elphie" now? Fiyero hoped his face wasn't as red as it felt. "Oh, about geology?" He was the one who had practically taught Elphaba geology. "It was a good lecture. I found the part about…"

"Anyway," Boq cut him off, turning back to Elphaba, "What did you think about the discussion he started at the end about the ruby mining in Quadling Country?"

"It's terrible! I had no idea that was going on. Those poor Quadlings. Do you think it's some big company doing it? Or do you think the Wizard has a hand in it?"

"Oh, I'm sure the Wizard has nothing to do with it."

Fiyero saw his in there. Elphaba knew the Wizard had something to do with just about everything. "I wouldn't be so sure. He'd have to at least given his approval, don't you think?"

"Maybe. Maybe some big company just bribed some of his delegates to tell him to allow them to mine. It might be he has no idea how bad it is down there."

"And a bunch of students know and he doesn't?" Fiyero argued.

"Maybe! From what I hear, the Wizard never leaves his palace. If someone is controlling what he hears, it might be that he has no idea!"

How was Elphaba not arguing with this? Fiyero wanted to smack some sense into this idiot little creature. "I doubt it."

"Have you ever been to the City?"

"No… not yet. My father has been meaning to take me."

"Well, I've been. The Wizard is an enigma. He doesn't let just anyone in to see him. It's very possible that he doesn't know."

Elphaba looked at Fiyero strangely and then back at Boq. "I'd never thought of that."

She was buying this junk? And why was she looking at him like that? Fiyero had to do something about this soon or he was going to snap in some not very nice ways…


	22. Chapter 22: Misunderstanding

**Chapter Twenty-Two: Misunderstanding**

She had no idea what in Oz was going on with Fiyero. The stupid boy was acting so strange. He had insisted on studying with her after class on Wednesday despite the fact that she told him over and over again she wanted to study alone. He didn't have a single question to ask her, either.

"Fiyero, what is wrong with you?" She demanded after they'd been sitting in silence for half an hour in her dorm room. Galinda was out with Pfanee and Shen-Shen, as usual.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that you've been acting weird since Monday. You've gotten even more obnoxiously clingy. Are you having some sort of sex hangover from the fall holidays? Because that's the only thing I can think of that would cause you to behave like this."

"No, it's not that."

"Then what in Oz is going on?"

"Nothing."

This was the first time that Fiyero had been unwilling to talk. Usually this was the way she behaved. Elphaba sighed. "Get out, then."

"What?"

"Obviously you don't need my help and you're not going to actually talk to me about anything, so you can leave."

"But, Fae…"

"And by the way, what were you thinking calling me 'Fae' like that in front of Boq? I know Galinda knows, but she hasn't actually told anyone. We are still trying to be discreet, you imbecile!"

"I forgot myself for a moment."

She didn't believe a word of it. "Whatever you say. Now leave."

He looked so dejected she almost gave in, but held her head high until he left. "Bye, Fae. I'm sorry about… this."

"When you can explain why you're sorry, then we can talk." Elphaba shut the door behind him. "Sweet Oz, that boy is so difficult!" For once, she considered asking Galinda for advice about this. She might know what this behavior was all about.

When Galinda got back to the room, that was exactly what she did. "How exactly is he behaving strangely?" Galinda bounced onto Elphaba's bed.

"He's been strained, in a way. And earlier today, he supposedly 'forgot' and called me by a nickname in front of Boq."

"What nickname?"

"Why does that matter?"

"It doesn't, but I'm curious."

"He calls me 'Fae'." Elphaba flushed.

"Cute! Do you have a nickname for him?"

"No."

"You should! Now, did anything else happen on today?"

"Now that I think about it, yes. He got all funny at Boq and started arguing with him. I've argued with him plenty, but not like that. It was like he was _trying_ to be a jerk. And then, as I told you, he insisted on coming over here and studying with me no matter how much I told him I did not want to."

Galinda bit her lip thoughtfully. "Hmm. That is strange. Maybe he's just worried you think he's stupid so he's trying to impress you."

"By being a jerk?"

"I don't think he realizes he's being a jerk."

"And he knows I don't think he's stupid. He's helped me with schoolwork at times, too, as much as I hate to admit that."

"I don't know what to tell you, Elphie. If I saw it for myself, I might understand better."

"Can you do me a favor, then?"

"Of course."

"Sit one row behind us in life sciences on Friday. And get there early. Okay?"

"No problem."

When Friday came about and Elphaba got to class, Boq was already sitting in the seat beside the corner seat. He'd been earlier than she had lately. "Hi, Boq."

"Hi, Elphie!" The munchkin boy was cheery.

Galinda was already sitting behind them. She didn't say anything but merely nodded at her roommate.

Fiyero entered just then, as well. "Hey, Elphaba." He frowned for a moment when he looked at his chair, but sat down. Was there something gross on his desk? She hadn't seen anything.

"So, Elphie, I was wondering, would you like to get lunch this afternoon?" Boq asked.

Galinda gasped.

Elphaba was confused. "I guess. I don't know."

"Okay, no, that's enough." Fiyero stood up, his face dark. This wasn't good. She still didn't understand what was going on, but she could tell he was angry. She rarely saw him angry.

"Fiyero, what is going on?"

"Leave her alone. She is not yours." Fiyero said to Boq.

Oh sweet Oz, he thought…?

"Who are you to tell me what to do?" Boq challenged, standing up, too. It was a humorous sight, the little munchkin boy standing face to face with Fiyero.

"I'm her - "

"Fiyero! Shut up now!" Elphaba got up and stood between them. "You promised."

"But Fae…"

"But nothing. Now stop."

Dr. Dillamond walked in and everyone sat down sheepishly. The three students in the front row couldn't concentrate at all during class. As the class dispersed after the lecture, Galinda ran up to her outside the building. "Elphie, I think I understand what's going on."

Fiyero was standing beside her. She'd been about to snap at him, but Galinda had started talking before she had the chance. He snorted.

Elphaba turned to him, glaring. "What in Oz is your problem?"

"His problem, Elphie, is that Boq just asked you out and you kind of agreed." Galinda explained.

"_WHAT?_"

"You really don't see it, do you, Fae?" Fiyero's voice softened a little.

"He was just being friendly. I think. I don't know." The only person who'd ever really been interested in her was Fiyero, and things hadn't exactly been normal with them. She had no clue what flirting was.

"He's been flirting with you all week, Fae." Fiyero said gently.

Elphaba shook her head. "No, he likes Galinda."

"He does?" Galinda asked, shocked.

Only Galinda could miss something that obvious. "He does. The only reason he even talked to Fiyero and I was probably because we knew you. He does not like me. He likes you."

Realization flashed across Fiyero's face. "And that's why he's been trying to get you to go out with him. He wants to get closer to Galinda, and you're the closest thing."

"That's so rude!" Galinda exclaimed.

"It is. And if I ever get my hands on him, I'll kill him. Not only did he ask her out, he wasn't even really interested. He would've hurt her!" Fiyero was almost growling.

"Calm down, Yero." Elphaba lowered her voice.

"What did you call me?"

"Yero. If you're going to call me something, I should get to pick a nickname for you. Now stop it. He wouldn't have done that if I hadn't played along, unknowingly or not."

"I'm still going to hurt him."

"That's so romantic," Galinda opined, opening the door to their dorm room and letting the other two inside.

"That is not romantic, Galinda, it's barbaric. He does not need to defend me or fight for me. This is not ancient times." Elphaba felt embarrassed, but she wouldn't admit to it. How could she have missed this? She turned to Fiyero. "This is why you've been acting strange all week, isn't it?"

He sighed. "Yes."

Elphaba wanted to laugh. She wanted to cry. She wanted to smack him. But she did none of those things. Instead, she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. "You are completely and totally ridiculous."

"I just love you, Elphaba."

Galinda sighed dramatically from her side of the room, pretending to swoon.

Elphaba rolled her eyes. "And I know that. I have no interest in Boq. How could you even think I would?"

"I didn't. I thought… I'm not quite sure. I just knew I didn't like it." Fiyero grasped her hands in his. "I'm sorry. But can you at least understand?"

"No, I can't. But I can forgive you." Elphaba got up and started to leave the room.

"Where are you going?" Fiyero asked.

"Over to Three Queens. You aren't going to give Boq hell, but I sure am!"


	23. Chapter 23: Surprises

**Chapter Twenty-Three: Surprises**

Fiyero ran after her as Elphaba strode towards Three Queens. She glared at him when he caught up to her. "You are not going to do a thing to him. That's my job."  
>"Fine. But I'm still coming with."<p>

She groaned but continued on.

"Hi Elphie!" The Munchkin boy's smile faded when he saw Fiyero. "Um, hi Fiyero."

"I wouldn't worry about him, Boq," Elphaba said angrily. "I'd be more worried about _me_."

"What in Oz are you talking about?"

"You think I don't know what your motives were this morning when you asked me to lunch? They had nothing to do with wanting to spend time with me. You just want to get close to Galinda."

"Why Elphaba, I'm offended that you'd think something like that."

He was right. Elphaba had no way to prove Boq's intentions. Not that it stopped her. "You can play innocent all you want. She knows exactly what you did, too. Maybe you didn't notice she was sitting right behind us in class?"

Boq's face seemed to have lost all of its color. "No, I didn't notice. Do you think she heard?"

"I know she did. We talked about it after class."

"Oh, dear."

Fiyero was enjoying this. He bit his lip to keep from grinning at Boq's humiliation. "That wasn't exactly fair, what you did."

Boq hung his head. "I'm sorry. I just… you two are the only people who even talk to me and I just thought that maybe if it at least looked like I had something, she'd think better of me."

"If it takes that much to impress her, she's not worth it, anyway," Fiyero said.

"You don't understand."

"You're right, I don't. I don't see it at all."

"I've seen other guys stare at her. Other guys get it."

"I'm not like them. And…" Fiyero hesitated, looking at Elphaba. "I have my own attractions. And the girl I'm attracted to happens to be the one you tried to ask out this morning."

Elphaba covered her face with her hands. "For Oz's sake, Fiyero, you promised we'd be discreet. First Galinda finds out and now this?"

"That explains a lot… So you guys are 'official' and all that?" Boq said quietly.

"Yes, basically. But I'd appreciate it if you didn't go telling everyone about that." Fiyero said harshly.

"I'd appreciate it if you didn't go telling everyone what I did." Boq looked up at him sheepishly.

"On one condition," Elphaba interjected.

"What?" Boq asked.

She slapped him hard across the face. "I get to do that."

Fiyero passed his winter exams with great grades, though not as great as Elphaba's. With their first semester over with, they headed back to Shiz for the winter holidays. On the one hotel stay, Fiyero insisted Elphaba sleep in his room. He kept her up half of the night with his attentions, worrying he wouldn't be able to touch her at Kiamo Ko (though he certainly intended to try). And she actually put up with it. Perhaps she felt the same way. Or perhaps she hoped that would keep him away from her at the castle. He wasn't sure. By the time she had fallen asleep in his arms it was only three hours until dawn. Still he didn't sleep, watching the sun come up through the sheer curtains on the windows.

This was one of the first times she'd actually stayed in his arms for longer than an hour or two after falling asleep. He supposed she was cold, as the weather was quite nippy. Or maybe she knew he was awake and didn't want to upset him. When she finally did wake, she looked at him and smiled sleepily. "You look like you didn't sleep a wink."

"I didn't. I'll just sleep on the way to Kiamo Ko." He didn't, though. He ended up merely staring at her – well, for as long as she would put up with it.

"Stop staring."

"I'm sorry. I just… I won't see you around the castle much."

"Fiyero, I know you. You like to pretend you'll stay away, but I know you'll sneak into my room by the second night. So stop fretting." Elphaba folded her hands across her chest.

She was right about that. He snuck into her room two nights later while she was changing and cleansing herself with her oils.

"Fiyero, sweet Oz!" Elphaba stood there completely naked with a bottle of oil shattered at her feet. She had dropped it when he had opened the door. For a moment she reached to cover herself, but then shrugged as if it didn't much matter. "You are going to scare me to death one of these days."

"You weren't expecting me?" He teased, drinking in the sight of her.

"Not at that exact moment, no." Elphaba bent down and began carefully picking up the pieces of glass on the floor.

"Let me help. It's my fault." Fiyero slipped out of the room and grabbed a broom and dustpan and rushed back into the room. He nudged Elphaba, who was still standing there naked, out of the way and tried not to let the sight of her distract him while he swept up the glass. After a moment, he was done. He put the broom and dustpan to the side of the room and looked back over at her. At that point, he couldn't contain himself anymore. He was across the room and kissing her in an instant. Within minutes, her legs were wrapped around him as he pressed her against the wall.

Afterwards, she went to her bedstand and got out another vial of oil. "Thanks to you I have to do this again."

"I'll help," he offered.

"Not this time. You don't need to start something all over again. And you shouldn't be in here much longer anyway. You've been here over an hour…"

She was right, and it made him a little sad to think about it. They couldn't share a bed tonight like they usually did after making love. He sighed heavily. "I love you, Elphaba."

She smiled at him gently. "I'd be careful with your words around here."

"No one can hear me in here, Elphaba."

Elphaba sat down on her bed. "You should go."

Fiyero kissed her, hating it as he walked out the door. "Goodnight, Fae."

"Goodnight, Yero."

The next morning, his father sent one of the servants to bring him to the royal study. Fiyero was unsure exactly what it was about. He hoped he hadn't somehow found out about his little adventure with Elphaba last night. He swallowed hard. Perhaps he shouldn't be thinking about that at the moment. Fiyero walked into his father's study.

The study was large. Bookshelves with books that were covered in dust lined the walls and a large mahogany desk in the center. His father sat behind it in a hard wooden chair. He looked up as Fiyero walked in. "Ah, good. I wanted to speak with you."

"What is it?" Fiyero tried not to seem nervous. He didn't need to give away that he'd done something wrong. It hadn't _felt_ wrong. Why did everyone else think it was wrong?

"I think it's time that we introduced you to your future wife. I know you aren't to marry her until you finish Shiz, but it would be nice if you were at least acquainted by then."

"Sarima?"

"Is there another girl we promised to marry you to?" Fiyero's father laughed. "Yes, Sarima. She's a very lovely girl. I'm sure you'll find her very appealing."

"Oh." He was not excited about this in the least, but at least his father had no idea about he and Elphaba. "That's fine."

"I thought you'd be a little bit more excited."

"Maybe I will be once I meet her. How can I be excited to see someone I've never met?"

Fiyero's father sighed. "Fiyero, you've been a little resistant about this marriage since the beginning. Let me make it clear: You are to be nothing but respectful to Sarima. At least until you're married. If you want to ignore her or have affairs, that is your business, but right now, you have to behave. Okay?"

"I got it." Fiyero wondered what Elphaba would think about this when he told her. Maybe another late night visit was in order. This time he had an excuse.


	24. Chapter 24: Jealousy?

**Twenty-Four: Jealousy?**

After inspecting the floor carefully to make sure there were no glass remnants likely to stick into her feet, Elphaba went to the schoolroom to see what progress Fiyero's little siblings had been making in their studies. It was before the children were there and only Sister Aloise was there, standing behind a desk in the front of the room, looking stern as ever.

"Miss Elphaba?" Sister Aloise gave as much of a smile as a maunt ever could. "I had heard that you and the crown prince had returned. I didn't know if I would see you."

"Well, I'm here. How are the children doing?"

"I never thought I'd hear you ask about children. You never seemed to be fond of them."

"I just like to know where they are in their studies. That's all."

"They are fine. They've been a little distracted since the queen had her baby. All Rienna wants to do is play with the little child. It's hard to drag her away when afternoon lessons begin."

Elphaba supposed it would be her job to teach the new baby. By the time the little girl was old enough to learn, she'd be back from Shiz. And Fiyero would be married… not that it mattered. "Like her brother, I see. The crown prince is very easily distracted from his studies as well. I believe that's part of the reason they sent me out there with him, to keep him focused."

"I'm sure. With men and women on that campus all at once, it must be very hard to concentrate. I'm sure all sorts of sins are being committed all across that campus. You must hear talk of fornication. I hope you have been able to ignore it."

Elphaba hoped she wasn't flushing. She was one of the students committing the sins. Ignoring the talk wasn't even a concern. If Sister Aloise only knew what had gone on in her bedroom the previous night… and they hadn't even been in the bed. "I don't much care."

"I know that. You never much cared whether or not something was a sin, either. Still, I pray for your soul and I hope you at least have the morals not to behave loosely."

"Do I seem like a girl who would fornicate, Sister Aloise?" Elphaba demanded, unable to straight out lie to the nun.

"You never seemed the type, no. But life outside the mauntery is different."

"That it is. I'd best be getting to the kitchens." Elphaba was still expected to work in the kitchens while they were on winter break.

That night, she hadn't even changed her clothes when Fiyero snuck in. "I wanted to tell you something."

Elphaba cocked her head. "What?"

"My father called me into his study this morning. I'm to meet Sarima tomorrow."

"Oh." Elphaba felt… no, it wasn't jealousy. It couldn't be. She did not care for jealousy.

"I think my father is hoping I'll show some interest. He kept telling me how beautiful she was."

"I'm sure she is very beautiful," Elphaba said softly, "or else she wouldn't be engaged to the crown prince."

He looked at her strangely. "Are you okay?"

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"I don't know."

"I don't know why you bothered to tell me this at all. What does it matter to me?" Elphaba snapped, trying to pretend it didn't matter to her.

"I just thought you'd want to know. That's all. Don't get upset."

"I'm not," she insisted. Elphaba knew the other reason he had come to her room. And she knew the way to distract both him and herself from the subject at hand. She grabbed his hand and drew him towards the bed.

For some reason, it hurt when he left that night. She hadn't cared the night before, but tonight it was different. He'd be able to spend every night he wanted to beside his perfect pretty little wife when he was married, but he'd never be able to sleep beside her like that. She got up from her bed, shaking her head and grabbed some sleeping draught. She took a small, small sip and crawled back into bed, trying to keep her head clear until she fell asleep.

The next morning, the servants were busy cleaning the castle and preparing elegant snacks and tea. Sarima was expected at around eleven. Elphaba would be one of the servants actually serving the food. She was almost thankful for that. She wanted to know what this girl looked like – merely out of curiosity, of course.

When Sarima arrived, Elphaba crept quietly towards the front hall, wanting to get a glimpse of her as soon as possible. She saw Fiyero kneel down and kiss the young woman's hand. He'd never done that to her… she was just his plaything. Sarima was lovely. She was voluptuous and her hair, though short, was curled in perfect ringlets (a little like Galinda's curls, actually). Her nose sloped gently, unlike Elphaba's very determined bend. Her eyes were purple. They went well with the purple ovals on her skin. Just then Fiyero spied her and she fled back to the kitchens.

She tried to keep her mind clear as she focused on preparing the tea and cookies. When she went to serve them, she noted Fiyero sitting relatively close to Sarima – he'd never be allowed to sit that close to her in public. His parents sat across from them. She placed the tray in front of Fiyero and Sarima, smiling falsely. "Here you are, ma'am." Elphaba's voice was dripping with disdain, but no one seemed to notice except Fiyero, who raised his eyebrows at her. Of course, she had to behave in front of his lovely little princess. He wouldn't like it if she didn't.

That was all she had been required to do. She begged out of the kitchens claiming a headache and ran to her room. But once she got there, she didn't know what to do with herself. Her books had been read ten times over. Usually reading them again was enough, but she found she couldn't focus. She practiced her spells, but quickly found herself wondering what the spell that lit candles would do if she lit the bottom of Sarima's dress instead of a candle wick… Elphaba took a gulp of sleeping draught, much more than she had the night before, and crawled into her bed.

She only awoke when Fiyero shook her awake that night. When she sat up in alarm, he placed a hand on her cheek. "Calm down, Fae, it's only me."

"Oh," she forced a smile. "I'm sorry."

"Have you been sleeping all afternoon?"

She nodded. "I was… tired."

"I'm glad. That means you can stay up with me tonight. I don't think anyone will be checking on me tonight. It's been such a long day."

"How late is it?" Elphaba wiped her eyes.

"Later than usual. You never sleep all day like this, Fae, no matter what kind of day you've had. Even if you've been up all night," he added, teasing.

"It's nothing," she waved it away. "Did you enjoy your visit?"

"Not particularly."

"You acted well, then. Could've fooled me."

Fiyero grabbed both of her hands in his. "That's what this is about. That's why you slept all day. I thought maybe… but it didn't seem like you to be jealous."

"Jealous?" Elphaba rolled her eyes.

"Elphaba, I love _you_. You know that, right?"

"You certainly say it enough."

"And you won't even say you love me. But still you're jealous?"

"I am _not_."

He was almost smiling. "You are. You love me, Fae. And so you're jealous."

Elphaba turned away. Somehow denying that she loved him felt like lying. It wasn't like she did love him, was it? "I…"

"It's okay. But you realize that I only acted that way because I was instructed to. I had to be polite and sweet."

"Clearly. You never act that way otherwise."

"Do you want me to bring you flowers and kiss your hand, Fae? I would if I thought you'd like it. But you really just don't seem the type."

He was right. And maybe she was the slightest bit jealous. Elphaba's cheeks were a deep crimson. She hated him for turning the lights on – he could see. "She's very pretty."

"Stop it." Fiyero squeezed her hands. "I never thought I'd have to tell you this. I didn't think you cared, and even if you did, I thought you knew well enough that I wouldn't have to say it. There is something special about you, Fae. Your looks, your personality. You don't even compare to anyone else. Maybe Sarima is pretty. I don't even know. It's not the kind of pretty I like. You are what I like. You are what I _love_. Today was awful. I wish I never had to see her again."

"But you do have to see her again. You have to marry her."

He sighed. "And you have no idea how much it kills me."

"No, I think I do." She hated admitting that.

"If this is too hard, we can stop. I can let you go. It will hurt me more than anything in the world, but I can if you want me to. If it's what you want, I'll do it, Fae."

"No, don't." Suddenly she was afraid. "Don't do that. Please."

"I won't if you don't want me to. I love you so much. You can't even understand."

"I…" Elphaba knew it was going to spill out, she tried to fight it, but it wouldn't stay in the back of her mind anymore. It came tumbling out of her mouth. "I love you, too, Fiyero."


	25. Chapter 25: Hopeless

**Chapter Twenty-Five: Hopeless**

So she loved him. He supposed he'd known that, but hearing her say it meant something more. It made his whole body warm. They had stayed up all night that night, mostly talking (although not the _whole_ time). It felt like forever before they finally returned to Shiz. He hated watching her around the castle when she had to serve him. And only being able to sneak into her room sometimes, and only for an hour or two was just not enough for him. He wanted her beside him in his bed. He wanted that every night. Sarima would never warm his bed the way Elphaba did.

The minute they got to the hotel on the way back, Fiyero pulled her into his bed. He didn't even want to make love, he just wanted her there. She had made it clear to him that she wouldn't be able to make love that night, anyway.

Fiyero was so grateful to return to Shiz. So many students complained that break had ended, but Fiyero was not one of them. Neither was Elphaba. "Fiyero?" They were alone in their life sciences classroom, having both gotten there early.

"What is it?"

"Well, I was thinking. On Tuesdays and Thursdays my classes start a little later this semester. Maybe on Monday or Wednesday nights I could stay the night one of those nights during the week. So long as you allow me to get some studying and work done." She would not look him in the eyes.

He grinned. _This_ was proof that she loved him, more so even than her saying it. Staying the night on a _school_ night? "You could stay both nights."

"I knew you'd say that. But no, Fiyero. I need my space."

She had seemed to need less and less space lately. Again, she'd stayed in his arms all night the night in the hotel before they returned. But he'd let her keep whatever semblance of independence she had. "I understand. How about Wednesday nights, then? That's in the middle of the week."

"That works for this week. I might change it depending on the week and the workload."

"I will be looking forward to it."

"You don't have to tell me that, Fiyero. I know you." Elphaba smiled at him and then bit her lip to hide it as other students began to enter the classroom. Even Dr. Dillamond was early.

"Miss Elphaba, may I see you at my desk, please?" The Goat asked.

Fiyero gave Elphaba a curious glance, but she seemed to have no idea what the Goat wanted with her, either. She approached his desk. Fiyero watched eagerly, trying to get an idea of what was going on, but couldn't seem to hear anything. It wasn't long, though. He saw Elphaba nod enthusiastically and then she returned to her seat beside him, smiling. "What happened?" Fiyero was more than a little curious.

"Dr. Dillamond is so impressed with me that he wants me to be his lab assistant. He's been doing research pertaining to the difference between Animals and animals, also between Animals and humans. I'm to work with him on Sunday afternoons."

He smiled back at her. "That's great." Fiyero knew how serious Elphaba had gotten about life sciences. That and sorcery were the classes she worked the hardest at, though she wasn't nearly as fond of her sorcery professor (Headmistress Morrible) as she was of Dr. Dillamond. He supposed she had more in common with Dr. Dillamond, shunned and stared at in the best of cases, teased and tormented in the worst. She also seemed to think Madame Morrible had it out for the Animals. Since getting to Shiz, she'd been much more passionate about the whole Animal thing. Fiyero understood it, though he wasn't nearly as invested as she was.

Elphaba allowed Fiyero to study with her more, as well. Sometimes he even studied with her in her dorm room. Galinda seemed to enjoy watching the two of them interact.

"You two are so cute!" Galinda exclaimed one afternoon when they'd gotten into a heated discussion about the biology of animals versus Animals.

"Did you really just say that?" Elphaba cackled. "I don't know what rose-colored glasses you're wearing, Galinda. Have you forgotten our situation?"

"I haven't. And that's why it's cute. Because you are together despite that."

"I'm sure it'll be really cute when Fiyero's married."

Fiyero sighed and took Elphaba's hand. "Fae…"

"What? I'm telling the truth, am I not?"

"I'll figure something out," he insisted. "I will."

"Fiyero, there is nothing you can do. We've accepted that. At least I thought we had."

But Fiyero didn't want to accept it. He loved her too much to accept it. And maybe she thought she accepted it, but he knew it was more like she was trying to forget about it. It became clear she couldn't accept it the night after Sarima had visited. He didn't bring that up now, though. Still she was right. What exactly could he do? He thought day and night what he could do. Nothing worked, not if he wanted to keep his family. All he could do was remember he had two more years to figure it out. "We've got time. Something will change, even if I have to change it myself."

Elphaba's face softened. "Yero my hero, you are hopeless."

"Hopelessly in love with you," he countered.

Galinda giggled.

"That is beyond cliché, Fiyero." Elphaba shook her head, but she was smiling.

"But I love you, Fae."

She looked up into his eyes. "I love you, too. You know I do." They both heard Galinda gasp at this. Elphaba turned to her. "Yes, I said it. Happy?"

Galinda smiled. "Took you long enough."

Elphaba laughed. "Maybe I could've come to the conclusion on my own sooner if I hadn't been trying so hard to ignore everyone pushing it on me," she gave Galinda a look.

"It was for your own good."

"My own good? So I can get exiled or killed? I really don't see how that's good."

"Fae…" Fiyero frowned.

"Would you stop living in denial, Yero?"

"We just have to keep hiding until I'm king, then it'll be okay."

"And then you'll be married." Elphaba folded her arms across her chest.

"Yes, unfortunately." Was Fiyero mistaken or had Elphaba suddenly become much more against the idea of him getting married? What she had shrugged off as a mere formality that didn't mean anything was now something she clearly put a lot of emphasis upon.

Elphaba buried her face in his chest and closed her eyes. Fiyero wanted to hold her there forever. After a moment, though, she pulled back at looked at him. "This isn't a conversation we need to be having right now." She gave a sideways look at Galinda.

"You're right."

"I don't mind!" Galinda chimed in.

Both of them laughed. Fiyero kissed Elphaba's cheek. "It's about time you come over to my apartment, anyway."

"You can stay here a little longer, it's not too late!" Galinda insisted.

Elphaba snorted. "Believe me, you won't want us here. We're leaving."

"You two have fun," Galinda said knowingly.

Elphaba grabbed her bag and followed Fiyero out the door, turning to Galinda. "I will. But you won't be hearing about any of it."

The last thing Fiyero saw as they closed the door was Galinda pouting. He looked back at Elphaba. "Look, I know we avoid talking about the future. But I do want you to know I'm trying my best to figure something out. I will never stop loving you, Fae."

He wasn't sure if he was mistaken when he saw tears glistening in her eyes. She blinked too quickly for him to be sure. "Let's forget about it, Fiyero. What we should be focusing on is making sure we don't get caught before then."


	26. Chapter 26: The Way of Things

**Chapter Twenty-Six: The Way of Things**

It was a typical Thursday morning. She woke beside Fiyero and looked over at him. But her smile only lasted a moment. He scared her. Well, it wasn't exactly that he scared her, but the way she felt did. It was like she almost needed him. She yearned for him. And she knew she couldn't have him forever. Still, she loved him. It wasn't like she could deny that any longer. Elphaba kissed him on the cheek gently. "I have to get back to my room and get ready for class," she said quietly.

"I'll see you tomorrow, then." He sat up and kissed her on the mouth.

"Make sure you get to class, Yero. You were up late and I know how you like to sleep in." Elphaba slid out the doorway carefully and hurried down the hall. No one had yet seen her exit Fiyero's apartment, at least not at a close enough distance where they could tell it was her. She wanted to keep it that way. Once or twice she thought someone had noticed her heading back to Crage, but not so that they could tell from where. She didn't care what people thought she was doing so long as they didn't _know_.

Galinda smiled sweetly at her when she entered. "Are you ready for sorcery class? Morrible was hinting at a pop quiz today."

"I'm ready. Are you?"

Galinda nodded.

Elphaba had wondered at first why her roommate had also been enrolled in sorcery. Galinda didn't exactly seem like the smartest girl, and maybe she wasn't, but she was clever. She could figure things out easily. It was more that she didn't _want_ to try hard. That wasn't something Elphaba understood, but she gave Galinda credit for at least being smart. She picked up on sorcery just as easily as Elphaba had.

"How's Fiyero?" Galinda asked.

"He's fine. You ask me this every time I come back from visiting him."

"I'm just curious," Galinda blinked sweetly. Elphaba didn't buy it, but she didn't bother fighting her.

"Well, like I said, he's fine."

"Elphaba?"

"What, Galinda?" Elphaba stopped packing her bag and put her hands on her hips, giving Galinda a demanding look.

"I know you're not as okay with your and Fiyero's situation as you pretend to be. He knows it, too. And I know you've had your own thoughts, come up with your own ideas as to how to deal with it. What, exactly, do you plan to do?"

Elphaba bit her lip. She had thought about it. And after the conversations she'd had with Dr. Dillamond she had made a decision. "If we get caught and/or once he gets married, I'm leaving."

Maybe she'd come back here and work with Dr. Dillamond, assuming he was still able to work here. Or she'd go work on Animal rights somewhere else. Dr. Dillamond was certain that the Wizard was behind the Animal oppression. And after listening to his thoughts, Elphaba couldn't help but come to the same conclusion. Last week, Madame Morrible had held a poetry reading. A poem had been read containing the words "Animals should be seen and not heard." Elphaba had been enraged. So had Dr. Dillamond. And Madame Morrible was supposedly close to the Wizard.

There had been talk, and Elphaba knew Dr. Dillamond was now the only Animal left on campus. That put him in a very scary position. So, if things with Fiyero had to end – and knew they had to eventually – she'd devote herself to making life fair for Animals again. Maybe she could forget him. Okay, that was a hopeless cause. But maybe it would ease the pain if she could focus on something else. Right now the thought hurt, but in time she'd get used to it. She had no choice.

Galinda looked at her and cocked her head. "Why?"

"Because I can't stay there, Galinda. If we get caught, I'd be in a lot of trouble. And even if we don't, I can't… I can't…"

"You can't watch him get married. You can't think about it."

"Right." Elphaba didn't even want to think about the things he'd do with Sarima. Once upon a time she hadn't cared, but she did now, maybe she had before, too. Part of her wondered why she didn't end it here and now, but it was too far gone. Logically, she should run now. She should go before it got even worse. But she couldn't bring herself to. And she really didn't like to think about it much. "Now let's go to class, okay?"

Galinda invited her out one Friday to hang with a group of friends at a café just off campus. Elphaba decided not to tell Fiyero, as she thought maybe she needed some time and friends without him. Not that it mattered. Boq was there and Boq had invited him. Somehow, between Boq asking Elphaba out and Fiyero informing Boq that he had behaved like a jackass, Boq and Fiyero had become fast friends. Elphaba would never understand it.

There were other people at the table, too. Two feminine-looking boys, Galinda's friends Pfanee and Shen-Shen, a girl named Milla, who seemed to know Galinda as well, and another boy, blonde and blue-eyed. He was like Galinda's counterpart, except not nearly as friendly. The look he gave her when he saw her made that clear enough. Even Galinda hadn't given her that sort of look when she'd first seen her. Elphaba glared back at him and sat down beside Galinda. She thought she recognized him. In fact, she recognized all of them. They were all in the same life sciences class.

Fiyero was smiling at her from across the table. Could he be any more obvious? She raised her eyebrows at him to remind him to be more subtle. They had plenty of time to stare at each other when she visited him. And she knew he took advantage of it, sometimes to the point where he made her uncomfortable.

Someone had stolen two bottles of wine that were being not so carefully passed around the table. Elphaba had sipped wine with the maunts, just a little, but she was accustomed to the taste, so she drank some. She had underestimated exactly how much she could drink, and soon everyone at the table was a little tipsy. Elphaba found, to her surprise, that she was enjoying the conversation. She particularly enjoyed tearing apart everything the blonde boy said when he thought he knew he was talking about. His name was Avaric.

Crope and Tibbet, the two other boys, thought it would be fun to take the party somewhere else. Avaric suggested the Philosophy Club. The table got quiet.

The first one to speak was Galinda. "My Ama won't be happy if I stay out any later. It's a blessing I was able to avoid her this long." She excused herself from the table and left.

Boq was next. "I'm afraid I have to study."

Everyone else followed suit with similar lies. Galinda had left before Elphaba had been able to get to her and she was the one with the key to their room. Elphaba had been trying to find hers before they left, but Galinda had rushed her out the door, insisting that they couldn't afford to be late. Fiyero found her, though, and reminded her that she was supposed to spend the night with him, anyway. "Let me just grab my things."

But Galinda wouldn't answer the door. "She's probably out cold," Fiyero said. "Maybe you need to start leaving things at my apartment so that this doesn't happen."

"I'll think about it." Elphaba thought that the idea was a bit much. She'd never be really living with him or sharing a room with him. She shouldn't start now.

"You did leave a bottle of oil so at least you can clean up. We could try to wash that dress tonight… well, I could. You can't get wet. And leave it to dry and hope it dries before morning. It's not like you sleep with your clothes on most of the time anyways." He raised his eyebrows playfully and kissed her cheek.

"Fiyero, be quiet!" Elphaba looked around them as they exited Crage, worried someone could hear them. But she was giggling, too.

He drew her to him in the doorway and kissed her hard. "I would rather you not had a nightgown, anyway," he breathed against her ear.

"Stop this," she giggled breathlessly. "We need to get to your apartment."

It felt like hours before they stumbled haphazardly into Fiyero's apartment, though it didn't seem to take more than seconds after that for them to make it to the bed. For once, Elphaba was actually able to sleep afterwards.

She woke in the morning to find that her dress was torn up the leg. Walking across campus like this would be interesting. Staring at Fiyero beside her, who was uncharacteristically snoring, she vowed never to drink again.


	27. Chapter 27: Strange

**Twenty-Seven: Strange**

And so some Friday nights they would go out with the others before returning to Fiyero's apartment. Elphaba insisted on leaving with Galinda every time and stopping at her dorm beforehand so that it wouldn't look like she was staying with Fiyero. But people were suspicious nonetheless.

They were celebrating their last day of finals and the day before they were all to go home for the summer. Fiyero was mourning more than celebrating. He did not want to return to Kiamo Ko quite so soon and for three months. This semester had passed much too quickly for his liking. Tonight and tomorrow night in the hotel would be the last full nights he'd spend beside Elphaba until they returned to Shiz.

"I'm glad classes are finally over!" Boq exclaimed.

"I'm not." Elphaba muttered.

"Of course not. No one would bother talking to you if they didn't just need your help on their homework," Avaric snapped.

Fiyero was sitting between Boq and Avaric and felt Boq nudge him to remind him to keep his cool. He swallowed hard. "Shut up, Avaric."

"Of course, little loverboy comes to her defense. I almost forgot. The two freaks are in love."

He saw Elphaba bite her lip and gave her a steady look. "I just think you're an asshole, Avaric. Leave Elphaba alone."

"What are you going to do about it?"

"Do you really want to find out?"

"Fiyero, stop it now!" Elphaba cried. "This isn't about you." She turned to Avaric. "You are an asshole; he's right about that much. But we certainly aren't in love – at least I'm not."

Fiyero didn't like what she had said, but he knew it had to be said.

"That doesn't surprise me. I figured you didn't have the capability to love," Avaric responded.

Fiyero got up and walked out. As he did, he heard Elphaba say, "Now look what you've done. He's going to be all melodramatic about this until I go and talk to him. That is _not_ what I wanted to do. Thanks a lot."

Once he was outside, he sat on a bench near the café. Elphaba wasn't long in following him. He sighed. "I know, I know, I shouldn't have said anything."

"You're damn right you shouldn't have! Really, Yero, we only have to deal with him tonight and then we get a lovely three months without him."

"I'm not looking forward to that, either."

Elphaba looked around, made sure no one was watching, and touched his cheek lovingly. "You think I am? I'm just trying to look on the bright side here. This summer I don't even get to teach your siblings, all I get to do is work in the kitchens. The only intellectual stimulation I had is gone."

"I'll stimulate you," Fiyero put a hand on her knee.

"Oh, don't you go there! You know we have to be careful." She brushed his hand away nervously.  
>"I meant intellectually." He feigned innocence.<p>

"Maybe you did, but it wasn't the only thing you meant."

"You caught me." He shrugged.

"This is going to be different than winter break, Fiyero. We're both going to have more to do, which means there are going to be more people watching us more often. You have all those lessons and shadowing with your father, and my duties in the kitchen are more intense now."

"We'll find time."

"I know you will. But we have to be _careful_. You know what will happen if we're not."

It wasn't a thought Fiyero relished. "I do. I won't get us caught, Fae. You seem to think I'm completely helpless to stop myself."

"Sometimes I think you are," she laughed, smiling at him sweetly.

Galinda walked out and joined them. "He is so rude sometimes! I swear, if Crope didn't have some hopeless crush on him, we would never put up with it!"

"Does Tibbet know?" Elphaba grinned.

"He does. But Crope doesn't realize that." Galinda sat down next to Elphaba and looked over at Fiyero. "But Fiyero, you really are asking for it."

"We've gone over it already." Elphaba informed Galinda. "He knows he's a blithering idiot."

"Hey!" Fiyero protested. But he had noticed every time Elphaba made a comment like that, she did it with affection. It was a strange way to display her love for him, but it was part of what he loved about her. So he wasn't really offended at all.

Galinda looked horrified. "Honestly, Elphaba, how do you expect to keep a man when you talk about him like that?"

"He knows I don't exactly mean it. Right, Yero?"

"Most of the time," he teased.

"You are the strangest couple," Galinda said decidedly.

"I thought we were cute?" Fiyero laughed.

"That, too. But you are awfully strange."

"Can you expect us to be normal, Galinda? Never mind our situation, just look at us. Of course we're strange." Elphaba seemed amused.

Fiyero liked that they were different. He did not want convention. Convention was what his parents were forcing upon him. But he wanted something different, something real. "I like your strangeness," he told Elphaba sweetly.

"And I like yours," Elphaba laughed, blushing. After a moment's pause she said, "Galinda, I'm waiting for you to make some sappy comment about how cute or romantic this is."

"Oh! I wasn't listening. That lady is wearing the cutest dress over there and I was just wondering where she got it or if I could get one of the tailors back home to make something like it."

"I suppose that shouldn't surprise me."

Fiyero did not understand for the life of him how these two women could ever have a conversation, but he tried not to wonder too much. Elphaba was more feminine than she thought she was. She needed a girl to talk to about her issues just as much as any other girl. He wondered what Elphaba told Galinda about him. Probably not a lot. Although sometimes Galinda said things that made him wonder.

"I'm going to miss you this summer, Elphie."

"I might just miss you a little, too, Galinda."

"Can I write you?"

"I don't know." Elphaba turned to Fiyero. "Can she write me? I mean, would your parents hate it if I received letters from my peers?"

"I'd like to think they wouldn't have a problem. But I can't be sure." Fiyero didn't like that Elphaba had to go to such lengths just to talk to a friend. When the castle was his, she'd have a little bit more control over her life. But until then, they'd just have to work around things as best they could. "What I'd suggest you do, Galinda, is address the letters to me and then seal them in another envelope with Elphaba's name on it inside the envelope addressed to me. I promise not to read them. And I'll send out whatever it is she wants to write back."

"If I want to write back," Elphaba amended.

"Are you sure your parents won't think it strange that there's a Gillikun girl writing you?"

"They might," Fiyero admitted, "but I don't particularly think it will bother them. Even if they did suspect something," Fiyero tried not to laugh at the thought, "they wouldn't much care. You're no threat to my marriage. You're leagues away and no Gillikun girl would ever move out to the Vinkus."

"No, I'm the real threat." Elphaba sighed. "And would your parents even think you'd be in love with a Gillikun girl? It's so unlike you."

"It is. I have more exotic tastes. No offense Galinda, but Gillikun is not the exotic I'm talking about."

"I know exactly what exotic you mean," Galinda giggled. "Elphie makes me well aware."

Elphaba glared at her friend. Fiyero tried not to grin at that. He didn't mind Elphaba telling Galinda anything. In fact, it made him happy to know she cared enough to talk about it. He could see Elphaba resisting the urge to slap Galinda. She said instead, "Galinda, that was completely unnecessary."

"I'm sorry." The blonde didn't exactly look like she meant it.

Elphaba shrugged.

And he had thought Elphaba couldn't get any stranger.


	28. Chapter 28: Too Close

**Twenty-Eight: Too Close**

The summer started out decently. Well, as decently as the summer could be when she was trapped at Kiamo Ko doing mindless kitchen work. Three nights after they returned, Fiyero snuck into her room. She was actually quite surprised he had lasted so long. He snuck into her room about every third night (excepting certain nights when she told him it couldn't happen, and sometimes he'd sneak in just to talk anyway).

The first half of the summer seemed to go by slowly, but not dreadfully so. Her conversations (well, really it should be categorized as pillow talk, as it almost always took place after lovemaking) with Fiyero kept her at least a little entertained.

Lying beside him after dinner one night, she looked at him and smiled. "I don't know how I could handle this summer without you. Not that I need you," she clarified, flushing, "but I do need conversation – intelligent conversation."

He turned to her and smiled back – she could still see his face. It was summer and it was relatively early. Both of them had found excuses to retire to their rooms almost immediately after dinner. "I'm glad I'm useful to you."

"You know I didn't mean it like that." She knew he was only teasing, though.

"Oh, I realize that." They both laughed.

Suddenly a knock came at her door. Elphaba shot out of the bed, heart pounding. Thank Oz the door was locked, although the person on the other side did try to turn the knob immediately after knocking. "Who is it?"

"It's Rienna. Miss Elphaba, I was wondering if you could help me a little with this assignment sister Aloise gave me…" The little girl's voice floated through the door.

Elphaba pulled her clothes back on quickly and gestured at Fiyero to make himself scarce. He grabbed his own clothes and jumped into her closet, closing the door quickly. After what felt like forever, Elphaba opened the door. "I'm sorry, Rienna, I was just so tired I was already in bed in my nightclothes and I wanted to change before I opened the door." Part of that was at least true.

"What were you laughing at?"

"Oh, I was reading a book and it was funny is all."

Rienna peered around Elphaba into the room. "You have big feet. Those socks are huge."

Elphaba turned around and bit her lip. Fiyero had missed one of his socks. "Um, I just like to wear big socks at night. They're more comfortable."

Rienna shrugged. "I just have a really quick question. I could've just asked through the door. I'm sorry!"

"Don't you worry about it at all."

Five minutes later, Elphaba closed the door behind her and breathed a deep sigh of relief. Fiyero peered out from the closet. "That was close."

"Are you kidding me? That was too close. This has to stop. Now. I'm sorry, Yero, and you know I hate it but we can't keep doing this, not here, not in this castle."

His face fell. "Elphaba, half the summer is left. I can't just not see you."

"You can see me. We can study on the weekends to 'refresh our minds.' But these little rendezvouses are done."

"Rienna wouldn't say anything even if she had seen…"

"She wouldn't? Really? Maybe she'd understand it if we asked her not to. But one day she'd mention it to you or to me in front of your parents, or she'd have questions as to why we were _naked_. She'd spill, whether or not she would mean to. And it doesn't matter. Even though she's gone now, anyone could come by."

"My parents never…"

"Maybe they don't. What if one of the other servants saw? You don't think _they'd_ tell your parents, Yero?"

He grabbed her and pulled her to him. "Don't. I can't not see you like this. I have to talk to you."

"You will."

"Not like normal, Fae."

"I'm sorry about that. But you know it has to be that way, Fiyero."

"Let me stay in here for just another hour or two, please?"

She looked up at him and she knew she wouldn't refuse him. He ended up staying until the very early morning as they finally began to fall asleep. Fiyero snuck sleepily back to his room and Elphaba stared at the ceiling from her empty bed.

She'd be lonely without the intelligent and thought provoking conversation he provided. And physically she'd certainly miss him, too. But they could not get caught, not now, hopefully not ever. If his parents caught them now, they'd pull Elphaba out of Shiz, for sure, if not worse. That could not happen.

The kitchens were boring beyond belief. She kept to herself for the most part. But sometimes the other girls would pester her, especially now that she'd gone to Shiz with the "dreamy Prince Fiyero." For Oz's sake, she wanted to smack them. She was sleeping with him and still she would certainly not define him as "dreamy." Not that she'd ever defined anything or anyone as dreamy…

"What's it like at Shiz? Are there cute boys?" One of the more flighty servant girls was pestering her one afternoon.

"There are boys," Elphaba muttered, trying to focus on the vegetables she was cutting up.

"I'll bet none of them are nearly as handsome as our Prince Fiyero."

She did have to admit to herself that she didn't find any other men nearly as attractive as she found Fiyero. She blamed it all on the diamonds. Sweet Oz, those diamonds were… well, gorgeous, but she wasn't going to tell this flake that. "I wasn't really paying attention."

"Why not? That's what college is all about, from what I've heard."

She was not at college to meet men. Elphaba wouldn't even be interested in anything if that damn silly prince hadn't had to just walk into her mind and demand her attention. "Maybe for some girls. My roommate, maybe."

"Is your roommate pretty?"

"Some would say that."

"I wonder if Prince Fiyero thinks she's pretty."

Elphaba snorted.

"What?"

Elphaba bit her lip. "I don't think he likes her like that, that's all."

_Dear Elphie,_

_ How are you doing? I hope everything is okay there and that you and Fiyero are being careful. It's not really you I worry about when it comes to giving things away, but Fiyero on the other hand, he gets carried away with such little things I can only imagine how much he gets carried away with you (*wink wink*). _

_ My summer has been so dreadful. The weather out here has been absolutely terrible for my hair. And it's so sweaty, ick! And my mother and father have been arguing a lot lately and paying absolutely no attention to ME._

_ I miss you, Elphie. I have no one to practice sorcery with. I'm sure you miss me, too! Give Fiyero my best._

_Love,  
>Galinda<em>

Elphaba rolled her eyes and folded the letter back up. Galinda was right, though. She did miss her, especially with her self-imposed isolation from Fiyero. Sister Aloise refused to spend any time talking to her about anything remotely interesting. Mostly she went out and about ministering to the village. And even when she was around, she was rambling at Elphaba how she must beware the sin of fornication. Well, Elphaba was avoiding that – for the moment. Only a little over a month to go…


	29. Chapter 29: Broken Dreams

**Chapter Twenty-Nine: Broken Dreams**

He had plenty of things to do during the days. Fiyero followed his father around, learned more about hunting, about fighting, about war strategy. But still he yearned for a different type of conversation. Elphaba, however, still refused to speak with him much. And he missed more than just the talking. Once or twice he'd been watching her serve dinner and the neckline of her dress would dip just the slightest bit and he'd catch himself craning to look. Just the way she walked aroused him now. Did she have any idea what this was doing to him?

Fiyero was relieved his father did not insist on having Sarima over for tea again. He couldn't stand it, and he knew Elphaba wouldn't much like it, either. But his father did constantly remind Fiyero how lovely Sarima was. Two more years of Shiz and then he had to marry her… and still he had no idea what he was going to do about it.

He had tried to sneak into her room once, but she hadn't reacted very favorably.

"I'm locking my door from now on," she said, barely looking up from the book she was reading.

"Fae, I miss you."

"I'm in the same castle as you, Yero, stop being ridiculous."

He climbed into the bed and tried to kiss her. She pushed him away. "Please," he begged.

"No."

"How do you stand it, Fae?"

"I read."

"You don't want to at all?"

She finally looked up at him. "Of course I want to." He saw something in her eyes change, but she swallowed hard and shook her head. "But that doesn't mean I'm going to be stupid about it."

"I checked. Everyone's asleep. It's late. I seriously doubt my sister is going to come bothering us." He wasn't ready to give up.

"Your sister is not the only danger, my love. Your parents, the other servants… Yes, they may be asleep now. But people get up in the middle of the night."

"But they wouldn't come in _here_. Besides, I locked the door behind me."

She kissed him softly. "You know I want to. And I do miss you. I love you, Fiyero. But we just can't. Not even a month now before we head back to Shiz. Can't you survive that long?"

"Not without at least talking to you more than I have been."

"Fiyero, it is very clear to me that you want much more right now than just to talk."

"But…"

"Please, Yero, go. I love you. If you love me, you'll listen to me."

He sighed heavily. Fiyero leaned in and kissed her deeply, hoping maybe she'd change her mind and tug him back onto the bed. He felt her hands clench as she fought off the urge and then he let her go. "I love you, and you know that. Good night. I hate this."

"I'm not exactly fond of it, either, Yero. Have a good night."

"It can't be a good night without you."

Elphaba rolled her eyes as he walked out the door. "You're pathetic, my love."

"Only because I love you." He shut the door behind him and dragged himself back to his room unhappily. He shouldn't have expected her to give in, but he had still hoped.

He had to content himself with watching her from afar. But even that was not acceptable to her. A week after that, she snuck into his room. "Fiyero, you are going to get me killed."

"You just walked in here and _I'm_ going to get _you_ killed?"

"We're lucky if your parents haven't noticed the looks you've been giving me, Yero. Please, stop."

He sighed and thought about pretending he didn't know what she was talking about, but he knew she had a point. "I'm sorry, Fae."

"Then don't do it again." Elphaba made to leave the room.  
>"Don't go! I mean, since you're here, we might as well take advantage of it."<p>

Elphaba cackled softly. "Oh, Yero, you are incorrigible. And believe me, if I thought we wouldn't get caught, I'd be just as bad, but no." She shut the door as she left, smiling gently at him.

He checked the hall a few minutes later and snuck into the library. Fiyero couldn't sleep. He'd been having a lot of trouble with that lately. Instead he read some books on sorcery. He wanted to understand exactly what it was Elphaba did in her classes. It was hours later when he finally closed his eyes.

"Son?"

Fiyero jumped and a book toppled from his lap. "Sorry, Father, I... what time is it?"

"You missed breakfast."

He had missed one of the three times a day when he got to see Elphaba, whether or not he got to do anything about it. "Oh, oops."

"You've been acting strangely this summer, Fiyero."

"I have?" Fiyero gulped. Elphaba had been right. He was giving it away, wasn't he?

"Does this have anything to do with that Gillikun girl sending you letters?"

Fiyero had to bite the bottom of his lip to keep from laughing. "No. She's actually one of Elphaba's friends."

"Then why is she writing you?"

"She's not." He figured he might as well tell the truth. "She's writing Elphaba. I wasn't sure if Elphaba was allowed to get mail so I told her to send the letters to me instead."

Fiyero's father chuckled. "I see. Well, if you wanted to know, you could've asked. Elphaba is welcome to receive the occasional letter. There are one or two of the stable boys who get letters from their mothers every week."

"Oh. I didn't know that."

"It's very kind of you to help her so much," his father said, clearly somewhat suspicious.

"She helped me get into Shiz," Fiyero replied defensively, "it's the least I could do."

"Fiyero, when you asked that she attend Shiz with you, I warned you not to get too attached to her…"

"I'm not!"

"Have you slept with her?"

"What? No!" Fiyero hoped he was convincing.

"I didn't really think so, mostly because she seems a little frigid."

Fiyero resisted the urge to argue with his father on that. "She is in no way interested. And neither am I."

"Then what is it that has gotten you so distracted?"

Fiyero decided to be as honest as he could. "After meeting Sarima, Father, I just… is there any way I don't have to marry her?"

His father's face darkened. "What is the problem with her, Fiyero? She was polite, quiet, lovely and very obedient. Why can't you just be satisified with her?"

"Because that's not what I want!"

The door to the library opened and Elphaba stood there. "Oh, sorry, I just wanted to grab a book on… actually, Prince Fiyero, you're holding it… I'll come back…" She shut the door and her footsteps echoed down the hall.

"Let me guess, what you want is something more like _that_."

"I told you, I haven't…"

"Just because you haven't doesn't mean you don't _want _to. It just means she won't let you, which is a little vexing because she's supposed to obey you, but in this case I think it's perfectly acceptable."

"I don't want to. I don't _know_ what I want. I want time to figure out what I want."

"You have two years. And then you have to give it up and marry Sarima. We already made the arrangements. There's no other option here. Now go get dressed and get to your fighting lessons." His father left the room.

Fiyero sighed as the door slammed shut. He had harbored some hope that perhaps his parents would be flexible and give him the choice. It had been a naïve and clearly unattainable dream, but he'd still given it thought. His father had just crushed that hope.


	30. Chapter 30: Giving In

**AN: Hey, so I realize my updating has been a bit slow lately. I actually had these chapters written for weeks, but as you can imagine, with the holidays, it's been a bit... crazy and I haven't been on my computer much. Sometimes, I upload like 7 chapters at once and then just publish from my phone later. Anyway, this chapter has a moderate M rating. It's been suggested I up the rating, and I can see why, but the thing with that is, no one is going to see it on the Wicked fanfic page unless they change search setting specifically to M and that's the thing I don't like...**

**Chapter Thirty: Giving In**

There were less than three weeks until they were to return to Shiz and Elphaba was about to lose her mind. She needed Fiyero in her bed, and not just for the physical aspect. Elphaba felt like she was literally losing brain cells for lack of some intelligent conversation. But she wouldn't go to him, nor would she ask him to come find her. The risk was still there.

Nonetheless, he showed up in the middle of that night. She awoke to a gentle kiss on the cheek and looked up at his figure in the darkness. Despite the fact that she could not see him, she knew it could only be him; she sensed him. "Fiyero."

"Fae," he replied breathily. "Please don't make me leave."

She opened her mouth but didn't know what to say. Sweet Oz, she wanted him worse than she ever had. Elphaba swallowed hard and moved over a little in her bed. "I won't."

"Thank Oz." He slid beneath the comforter.

"Yero…"

"What?"

"Let's try to be quiet, at least, okay?"

"That is certainly more your problem than mine," he whispered into her ear, nibbling at her ear lobe. He pulled her body towards him and kissed her heavily. The moment she opened her mouth to him, his tongue darted inside, eager. His hands slid down her body and grabbed the hem of her nightdress, pulling it up until it was at her neck.

She broke the kiss for a moment so he could take the nightdress completely off of her and she tugged his nightshirt over his head. Neither of them wore anything under their nightclothes. His mouth had lowered from hers and moved slowly downward as she arched her back slightly. His hands pushed her legs open roughly, though she was more than ready for them. The moment a finger slid inside her she moaned. She'd missed this so much.

Fiyero's teeth were nipping a little harder than usual at her breasts but she liked it. She reached to remove his pants and found just how much he wanted her. He climbed directly above her. "Oh, Fae, you have no idea how much I've been thinking about this."

"Oh, I have more of an idea than you think I do," she replied, barely able to breathe, trembling with anticipation. When he entered her, she cried out softly.

Usually he began their lovemaking at a slow pace, but that was not the case tonight. He thrust inside of her quickly. His movements were strong and she responded with movements even stronger and faster. It took less time than usual for her body to begin to tingle, her moans to grow louder, and ecstasy ripped through her, again and again until he lay spent beside her over two hours later. She wondered if he was as sore as she was.

"Sweet Oz, Yero," she said finally, when she caught her breath. Sweat trickled down her forehead and she felt him trace it with his lips. After a moment, she sighed, "You know we can't do this again. I mean, not until we're out of here."

"I know," he replied. "Let me sleep in here tonight, please. I promise to wake up before the sun rises and leave."

"You're not going to try to do that again, are you?" Elphaba asked, voice hoarse. "Because that was a little much and I won't want that again for at least a few more hours…"

He laughed. "I think I'm done with that for the night, although we've spent nights longer than that…"

"Not to that intensity," she giggled.

"No, probably not. I could get used to that."

She smacked him playfully. "Don't. At least not right _now_."

He pulled her into his arms. "I love you, Elphaba."

"I love you, too," she murmured.

"I'm surprised you didn't kick me out of here the moment I walked in."

"You just got lucky and caught me in a moment of weakness. I don't have many of those." If he had any idea how many times she'd thought of him the past nights, he'd know she was lying.

"I'm sure," he grinned at her.

She buried her face in his chest, not wanting him to see her blush – though he probably couldn't have in the dimly lit room, anyway.

He was hers for that night, and despite the fact that the weather was warm once again and sleeping in his arms wasn't the most comfortable, she did not pull away from him. She found herself wishing that they could have these nights whenever they wished, and she shook her head, fighting off the thought. He noticed. "What was that?"

"Nothing. I… nothing, Yero."

He clearly didn't believe her, but he did not argue with her. She supposed it was because they only had a few hours together and he didn't want to spoil them. Elphaba was grateful for that. They spent the rest of the night talking about things that kept her mind interested much more than her body.

The next two and a half weeks dragged by and it was all she could do not to sneak into his bedroom. When the day finally came that they were to return to Shiz, she was all too happy to climb into the carriage with him.

That afternoon, when there was finally a lull in their conversation and attentions, Fiyero said, "I think my dad suspects a little bit."

"What?"

"Well, he does and he doesn't. He actually thinks you have no interest whatsoever in me. But before we left, he took me aside (and not for the first time this summer) and told me I was to focus on my studies and not on… other things."

"Do they think we're…?"

"No. They don't. Because my father is convinced you'd reject me if I ever tried."

"I guess that's a good thing." But still it bothered her that his affection for her was even the slightest bit obvious. She had worried it might be, but to have that confirmed was another thought. "What did he say?"

"He said that when I become king, if I want to command you to submit to me, I can go ahead, but right now I am a prince and there are plenty of servant girls actually willing…"

Elphaba snorted. "Ha! If I didn't want to, Yero, and you commanded me to…"

"You wouldn't let me, I know. And I'd never command you to do something like that. I'd never _make_ you do anything. You know that, Fae."

"What is it about me that he hates so much, Fiyero?" She couldn't help but ask. "Is it that I'm green?"

"Yes and no. It's that you're not Vinkun. And I think, strangely, part of it is that you _don't _swoon and giggle at me. Because he knows you'd cause more trouble. You don't obey my every whim. To him, that's a threat. And I think he sees that, if he is correct and I am interested, my interest is more than purely physical. He knows I've barely ever bothered to have conversations with the other servant girls."

"I guess that's understandable. He doesn't want me threatening your marriage."

"He already knows I'm not happy about it."

"You've said something?"

"I just asked if it had to be Sarima."

"And he said?"

"That yes, it has to be Sarima."

She hadn't hoped for any other answer, although she was sure he had. But it still disappointed her to hear it. "You knew that, Fiyero. The more you protest, the more trouble you could get us into."

"I've figured that out. I haven't said anything since. I just wish it didn't have to be like this."

"You've said that a thousand times. And I know that, Fiyero. I wish the same. It doesn't mean I'm going to act like an idiot and get us in trouble."

He pulled her into his arms. "But Fae…"

"I know," she whispered, putting a finger to his lips. "I love you. But there is nothing we can do."

"Not now," he said, kissing the tip of her finger.

She didn't like the way he said that. "Not while you're still a prince. And by the time that changes, it'll be much too late."

"You'll wait, won't you, Fae?"

She looked away.

"Fae?"

"Do you think I'm just going to sit around, knowing what's going on down the hall at night? Knowing that _I'm_ not the one you're touching in the dark? Do you think that's fair?"

"Do you think I _want_ to?"

"I realize that you don't, but at least you can pretend you have someone. I can't."

"I can't _pretend_, Fae. No one's like you. I'd never fool myself into believing otherwise for a moment."

She smiled sadly at that. "Let's not talk about this."

He opened his mouth, ready to protest.

"Fiyero, please, don't do this."

He sighed. "Fine." Fiyero buried his face in her hair and she closed her eyes. How she wished she could just pretend.


	31. Chapter 31: Situations

**Chapter Thirty-One: Situations**

This could be a problem. This could be a _huge_ problem. She hadn't said anything, but he knew. He knew simply from the fact that she'd been able to make love every time he'd wanted in the first two weeks of the term that she hadn't bled when she was supposed to. But she hadn't said a thing about it. Maybe he was just being paranoid. Fiyero thought about approaching her. This was his fault, after all. It was his sneaking into her bedroom that night weeks before summer had ended that had to have caused this. She hadn't been keeping track, because she hadn't thought she'd have to…

It turned out he didn't have to say anything to her. It was the middle of the third week of the term when she came to spend the night that she finally came out with it. "Yero, um, we need to talk about something."

He tried to look surprised. "What's wrong, Fae?"

"I wouldn't even bring this problem to you. Normally I'd deal with it myself, but it requires money and I hate asking you to help but I don't have any and…"

She was babbling and clearly uncomfortable, so he saved her the trouble. "You're pregnant."

She looked up at him. "How'd you…?"

"You haven't refused me in the past two and a half weeks, Fae. You should've either bled by now or told me it wasn't a good time because there was a risk. Neither happened."

"Oh."

"Now what are you saying about money?" This slightly confused him.

"Well, I mean, it's not like I can just have the child, Fiyero."

He cocked his head at her, still not quite understanding.

"And there would be travel, too. I mean, I've done research and there's nowhere in this town where they can do such a procedure. I'd have to go into the City next weekend…"

Then it dawned on him. "You want to…?"

"What else can we do?"

She was right. But he didn't like it. He knew that those procedures were extremely risky to women. Most of them were done in underground clinics. Perhaps with the right amount of money he could get her to a trustworthy doctor who'd be discreet. "If you are comfortable with that, of course I'll help, Fae. It's my problem, too." He sat down on his bed and patted beside him so she would sit next to him. "I'm coming to the City with you."

"Fiyero," she began, about to protest.

"No. Don't you dare tell me you'll do this on your own. I'm coming with. I have more than enough money stowed away to handle this. Let me make the arrangements."

She sighed. "I've done all the research."

"But I know you. You'll go somewhere that's cheaper just so you don't cost me more money. That's not safe, Fae. Let me."

She nodded. "If it'll make you feel better about it, fine."

He hugged her close. "I'm sorry."

"I am, too," she replied. "But it's not just your fault. And it's not just mine. We're both to blame on this. So don't you go feeling guilty."

He did feel guilty. He felt absolutely awful. Fiyero could only guess at what this might put her through physically or emotionally. But he didn't tell her that he felt that way; it would only cause her to blame herself more. "So the City next weekend?"

"I'd go this weekend, but there just isn't enough time to make arrangements."

"How long have you known?"

"A week or two. But I had to do research. I couldn't just spring this on you."

"You could've told me the moment you knew."

"I knew you'd say that."

"What are you going to tell Galinda?"

Elphaba sighed heavily and blushed. "She knows."

"What?"

"She knew about the same time I did. She's good, Fiyero. I was in denial of it for so long she might have known before me."

He almost laughed at that, but now was not a time to laugh. "What did she say?"

"She told me she knew, and then, for the first time since I've known her, she didn't know what to say. After a few minutes she just hugged me and cried."

He wanted to do the same thing, but he didn't think it'd go over as well as it had for Galinda. "I'm glad she knows. That way we're not completely alone in this."

Elphaba nodded. She told him that she'd spend the night in her own room, though he pleaded with her to stay.

So Fiyero did his own research and began arranging that very evening for a renowned doctor to see Elphaba. But once he had done as much as he could, he was left alone to his own thoughts, and those were dangerous.

While he had suspected Elphaba's pregnancy, the confirmation of the fact was a whole different matter. And now they had no choice but to… deal with the problem. If it had been another world, another situation, he wouldn't have jumped so eagerly at aborting the child. But of course, they both knew what had to be done. It didn't mean he had to like it, though.

He wasn't a doctor, but Fiyero had a good idea what went on in those clinics, what the procedure was, and he shuddered at the thought. He had no doubt that Elphaba was well aware of what was to come, and though she showed no fear, he knew her well enough to know that didn't necessarily mean she wasn't afraid. He needed to stop thinking about this.

So he went to her room. He thought he heard voices, but there was silence the moment he knocked. Galinda answered. "Oh, Fiyero, we were just talking about you…"

Fiyero knew what that meant. They had been discussing the little problem of his and Elphaba's currently residing in Elphaba's belly. "Hi, Galinda."

"Fiyero, what are you doing here?" Elphaba was sitting in her bed, her knees pulled up to her chest. "I told you I was going to spend the night in my room."

"That doesn't mean I can't come see you, does it?"

Elphaba sighed. "I guess not." Her hair was down and she tugged it back behind her ears.

He went to the bed and sat beside her. Fiyero put an arm around her. "I don't want to leave you alone."

"Excuse me," Galinda huffed, "she is not alone! She has me!"

Fiyero bit his lip. "That's not what I meant. I apologize. I just… I mean, the situation… I don't want to…"

"Yero, stop," Elphaba murmured. "I understand. And so does Galinda. Right?"

Galinda nodded. "Does that mean you're going back over to his place?"

Elphaba shook her head. "I don't know." She turned to Fiyero. "You can't watch over me every night for the next week and a half."

"Why not?"

She glared at him.

That was a stupid question. He backed down. "I know, but tonight is different."

"Why? I'll still be pregnant tomorrow. And the day after."

"You just told me today," he insisted. "Please, Fae."

"I want to stay here," she said.

"Then I'll stay, too." Fiyero paused. "That is, if Galinda doesn't mind?"

"You're welcome to. Ama Clutch has been in the infirmary since we got here. Madame Morrible is avoiding doing anything about it until she knows exactly what's wrong with her. So there's nothing stopping you from staying." Galinda smiled.

Elphaba may have glared at Galinda, but when he turned back to her, she merely looked… small. "I'm tired," she whispered.

"I can't blame you," he said gently. "Do you want to go to sleep?"

"Did you get all of your homework done, Yero?"

"Can you forget about schoolwork and worry about yourself for once, Fae?"

She half-smiled at him. "That would mean you haven't."

"I can do it in the morning. Please, Fae."

"You will do your homework now. I am going to lie down and read, maybe drift off. I'll leave room for you. Okay?" She gestured to her desk.

He didn't do much of his homework. The moment she fell asleep he merely watched her, instead.


	32. Chapter 32: Don't Be Afraid

**Chapter Thirty-Two: Don't Be Afraid**

She woke up to find his arms around her. The sun was not all of the way up yet, and she knew she didn't have to get up yet. She'd been so tired lately, though she knew what the reason for _that_ was. It felt like her body had been invaded by an unwelcome parasite. Perhaps that was a harsh way of putting it, but considering the predicament it had put her in, it wasn't altogether inaccurate. Elphaba had thrown up once or twice the past week – which was how Galinda had found out.

That had not been her favorite conversation. The second time she'd thrown up, she'd come out of the bathroom and Galinda had stood there, hands on her hips, looking at her with both sympathy and expectancy. "Why, Elphie, I think you might be pregnant." Galinda never beat around the bush.

At first she had fought, denied it, but she hadn't lasted long against Galinda's persistence. Her voice had barely been audible when she had said, "I think you're right."

It had taken days to tell Fiyero. She'd had to do research first. Elphaba had known the moment she had admitted she was pregnant that they could not keep the child. She wasn't sure she'd want to, anyway, not with school and everything. Not that it mattered.

Still, the idea of what had to happen wasn't one she enjoyed. It didn't sound the least bit pleasant. Of course, no medical procedure was pleasant, but this just sounded… awful. Part of her was happy Fiyero would at least be nearby to comfort her. She didn't know how much good she'd do him – she was pretty sure that after something like that her interest in sex might decline for days or weeks. But there was more to their relationship than that, despite the fact that all of those other things scared her.

She couldn't believe she was stupid enough to put herself through this. But she hadn't been thinking that night when he had snuck into her bedroom, at least not about practical matters. Later, the thought had come to her briefly, but she knew the chances were small and any math she did after the fact would only be a guess at the best. She'd put it out of her mind after that. Perhaps she should've been watching for it, instead.

After twenty more minutes of not being able to fall back to sleep, Elphaba finally rose from the bed, waking Fiyero. She had hoped she wouldn't wake him, but she figured she likely would. Since the night she'd fled his bed after making love, he'd been a lighter sleeper. Elphaba looked over towards Galinda's bed to see if her roommate was awake. She didn't want to talk to Fiyero if Galinda was still asleep. It would be rude to wake her up.

But Galinda was not in her bed. She'd left a note on Elphaba's desk telling her she'd snuck down to Pfanee and Shen-Shen's to give Fiyero and her some privacy. Elphaba wished she hadn't done that. It wasn't necessary. So, finally, she faced Fiyero again.

"Did you sleep well?" It was the only question she could think to ask.

"Not exactly. Did you?"

She shook her head. Clearly they were both so nervous about the whole problem that sleeping soundly had not quite been an option. "It was just an eventful day yesterday, I guess."

He got up and kissed her. "It was. How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine, Yero. I've told you that."

"It's a new day. I was just checking."

He was going to drive her crazy. She sat back down on her bed. "If I don't feel right, I'll tell you, okay?"

"It's not just you… there's something inside you, too."

"It is just me," she insisted. "This," she gestured to her stomach, "doesn't exist. It won't exist soon. Let's please not treat it as if it's already alive. It never will be." Elphaba did not wish to get sentimental about this. She couldn't, not if she was going go through with the procedure.

Fiyero was quiet for a moment. "I… I know that."

He would make a good father, wouldn't he? But he could never be the father to her children. She could never be a mother at all, not if she and Fiyero were to continue. And even if they didn't continue, and she did leave Kiamo Ko eventually, the chances of there ever being someone else were slim. But she didn't want to be a mother anyway, she reminded herself. At least she didn't want to at this moment. Perhaps he'd father someone else's children. She didn't wish to think about that. "Yero, please. Don't make this harder than it is."

"I just worry, that's all."

"You think I'm not scared, Yero?" She didn't want to admit this, but his nerves were getting to her, too. "But stressing over it isn't going to do either of us any good."

He bit his lip. "If you say so."

She leaned into him. "You'll be nearby the whole time." Elphaba found the thought a little comforting.

"I wish you didn't have to…"

"Stop, Yero."

"I'm sorry. I love you, Fae."

"I love you, too. But there's a week and a half until we go to the City. You can't act like this for that long."

"I can try."

"Very funny." Elphaba sighed and looked at the clock. "I have to get ready for class." She began undressing and reached for her oils. "Don't try to 'help' me, Fiyero. We don't have time for that."

"I hadn't even started thinking about that. Thanks for distracting me by mentioning it."

She cleaned herself quickly and dressed again. Elphaba went to her desk to grab her books. "And you have homework to do, Fiyero. I know you didn't finish your homework last night. So you should head back to your apartment. You can walk out with me." She opened the door.

He followed her out. "Can I come over after classes?"

"No. I'll not have fussing over me. Please, Fiyero."

She thought that maybe he would attempt to stop by her room that evening anyways, but he obeyed her wishes and stayed away. But of course, she was still pestered by Galinda.

"So you're going into the City next weekend, then?"

Elphaba nodded.

"You're scared." It wasn't a question.

"It's a little unnerving, but I'll be fine, Galinda." Elphaba did not want people to tell her how afraid she should be, lest it actually make her afraid.

"Fiyero's going with you, right?"

"He insisted. Yes."

"Good. Someone might need to take care of you afterward."

She wished Galinda would stop scaring her. "We'll only be there two days. We have to get back in time for Monday classes."

"I think you could miss class for just a day or two for something like this."

"I'll be fine."

"Let's just see how you feel when you get back. I hope you're taking a carriage? Public transportation is so disgusting these days. And after such a thing, you'll probably want to be a little more comfortable."

"We are, only because Fiyero's insisting."

"Just be careful, Elphie."

"You say that about everything."

She threw herself into her schoolwork for the rest of the week. On Friday night, she went to Fiyero's. Elphaba dreaded going, though. He'd probably only obsess over the whole situation. But it was better than Galinda, who hadn't stopped bothering her. So she went, anyway.

He held her like she was glass that evening. She had to coax him into making love, reminding him it wouldn't hurt her. Somehow, despite the fact that he was so tender and gentle, he still made her cry out and tremble. She tried not to tremble at the thought of what was to happen the next weekend…


	33. Chapter 33: Direction

**Chapter Thirty-Three: Direction**

He couldn't sleep that night, but neither could she. They tried to keep themselves distracted using each other, but that could only go on for so long. And books weren't doing the trick, either. Eventually, he put his book down at looked at her. "Look, I've been skirting around this, trying to talk about it without being too direct, but for Oz's sake, I can't. I know what's going to happen in that doctor's office, Elphaba. And it makes me sick."

"I told you this already. There is nothing else we can do. And you made the arrangements. You told me that earlier. You said you trusted this doctor from his reputation."

"I do. But I don't trust the procedure."

"There's no other way to do it, Fiyero. I know exactly what has to happen, too. Just because I'll be knocked out doesn't mean I'm exactly happy about the idea of something being stuck inside me and basically tearing out whatever's in there."

He cringed. "You had to put it that way?"

"You said you were going to be direct. Am I not allowed to be?" She folded her arms across her chest.

"That was more graphic than direct."

"Like you haven't been thinking about it constantly for the past three days."

That he couldn't deny. He looked at his hands.

She put her hand on his. "What do you want us to do? Have the child? I'd be exiled and on the streets long before I could give birth. You know that."

He did. But he kept thinking about the child inside of her, the child that was his. They were young, yes, but he wished she could have the child. He wished they could hold the child one day. He wished and wished but nothing would change. "You're just lucky they won't let me in the room when they do it."

"I'm lucky? You're lucky. You don't have to see it. And you'd probably cause a scene and get us kicked out, anyway."

He certainly didn't wish to see it. But if she had to go through it, he should share some of the pain. And he couldn't share it. All he could do was care for her as much as he could. "I just hope it isn't too bad."

"I won't even be conscious. There are potions and spells that they have that will knock me out, Fiyero."

"It'll hurt afterwards. For a day or two. I read about it."

"Of course you did," she almost laughed. "That doesn't surprise me. And I know it will. I'll live. But… Fiyero, I won't be able to, well, you know, for at least two weeks after the procedure."

"I know that. And I would never even think about it until you are ready. If you don't want to for months, I am fine with it. I just want you to be comfortable." He squeezed her hand.

"With you, I'm sure I'll be as comfortable as possible. You make sure I'm taken care of, whether I want you to or not." She smiled.

He smiled back. "Is that a complaint or a compliment?"

"I think it's a little of both."

After that, they were able to sleep. Elphaba woke at the same time as usual on Saturday, and Fiyero a little while after her. It was a lazy day for both of them. They relaxed on the couch and read. Elphaba did a little studying, but for her that _was_ relaxing. He kept his arms around her almost all day and she didn't protest.

That night they made love again. As usual, he felt exhausted afterwards. She got up and made herself something to eat. This was common. He always fell right to sleep, but she was usually starving. Some night she didn't sleep until hours afterwards. Fiyero tried to stay awake to talk to her, but after the long night the night before, he was asleep within half an hour.

The next morning, she shook him awake gently. "Yero, I almost forgot, I promised Dr. Dillamond I'd help him out this morning. He said he thought he was about to have a breakthrough."

He yawned and wiped the sleep out of his eyes. "You'll come back this afternoon?"

She nodded. "I'll see you later."

After she left, she climbed out of bed and began to get dressed. When he went over to his desk, he realized that Elphaba had left her notebook there. She'd need it. He was surprised she had forgotten it. Well, she had a lot on her mind right now. Fiyero pulled a shirt over his head and went to bring her the notebook.

The weather outside was lovely, and he took his time walking towards the sciences building. Still, he found it hard to appreciate the warmth and the beauty of the landscape around him when he thought about what he and Elphaba had to do the coming weekend. He was lost in thought when he entered the sciences building.

For a moment, he didn't realize what he saw when he turned down the hallway that led to the laboratories because he was so distracted. But it finally registered and he dropped Elphaba's notebook and ran down the hall. "Sweet Oz, Fae!"

She was sitting on the floor outside Dillamond's lab, grasping at her bag, muttering. Elphaba was shaking so hard he had thought at first that she was seizing.

He grabbed her, "Fae, what is going on?"

When she looked up at him, her eyes were not completely focused. It took a moment for them to focus on him, and another moment for her to realize her surroundings. Suddenly, tears were in her eyes. "Fiyero, it's Dr. Dillamond… he's…"

"What? What is it?"

"Help me stand up," she said.

He stood up and took her hand, grasping tightly as he pulled her to her feet. "What's going on?" Fiyero repeated.

"You need to see this," she murmured, grabbing for the doorknob of the lab. But she never reached it. Elphaba collapsed to the floor.

Fiyero's eyes widened and he picked her up in his arms. "Fae?"

For a moment, her eyes didn't open and he was about to panic. But they fluttered open and she looked at him groggily. "Yero, please, you need to see…"

"No, Fae, we need to get you back."

"No, you need to see," she insisted.

He sighed and gently sat her down on the floor. "You're staying right here. Don't try to stand up, do you understand me?"

She rolled her eyes but nodded weakly.

When he opened the door to the lab, he understood at once what had Elphaba so upset. There was blood everywhere. Dr. Dillamond's body was slumped, lifeless, over his desk. "Oh my Oz…" He backed out of the room and slammed the door behind him.

"We need to tell someone," she said as he returned to her.

"No, we need to get you to the infirmary."

"We need to tell someone," she repeated.

He shook his head and made to lift her back up into his arms. "We have to get back to my apartment."

"You are not going to carry me!" Her strength seemed to be coming back, at least in her voice. "Think of what people will say!"

"They'll say you were sick and that was the only way I could get you to the infirmary."

"No. I can walk."

"I'm standing next to you the whole time, then. If I even think you'll fall…"

"Fine."

He helped her to her feet again. "Fae, I'm sorry you saw this, I'm so sorry…"

"Don't." She took a few steps and then looked down at herself, confused. "Um, Yero?"

"What?" He didn't see anything but her plain black dress.

"I take it back. You can carry me."

"What's wrong?"

"I'm bleeding…"


	34. Chapter 34: Pain

**Chapter Thirty-Four: Pain**

"Bleeding?" Fiyero looked confused as he lifted her into his arms again. "What do you mean…?" It took him a moment to realize what she meant. "Oh, no…"

She nodded feebly. "Yes."

"We need to get you to the infirmary now, Fae."

"No, Fiyero! Stop and think about this for a moment. If the nurse at the infirmary realizes, she'll report it to Madame Morrible, and Madame Morrible will report my… condition… to your parents."

His face fell.

"My dorm, Yero. Galinda will have some idea." And it was closer. She really did not want them to be seen like this.

"What about her Ama? Won't she say something?"

"She's still sick."

He nodded and walked quickly towards her dorm. She hated the climb up the stairs. Her head felt funny and it made her nauseous. Finally, they arrived at her room. With no hands, Fiyero kicked gently at her door.

Galinda opened it. "Oh sweet Lurline! What happened?"

Fiyero rushed in and put her on her bed. "A few things. Dr. Dillamond's dead. And," his voice wavered, "Galinda, she's bleeding."

Elphaba felt too weak to speak. She watched them in silence.

It didn't take Galinda the same amount of time to realize what that meant. She responded immediately. "Do you know what's going on, Fiyero?"

He shook his head.

"I think," Galinda lowered her voice, looking at Elphaba, "she may be having a miscarriage."

She wanted to tell Galinda that she'd heard that. And she'd deduced as much, anyway. But she couldn't even lift her head from the pillow.

Fiyero looked scared. "What are we going to do?"

"I… I have some idea, but I'm not sure. But I know someone who can help. There's a girl who moved in downstairs. She's disabled. Her Ama is her Nanny and her Nanny is so old she's seen everything. I think she was even the midwife when the girl was born. She'd known what to do."

"What if she tells someone?"

"I don't think she will. And we don't have much of a choice anyway, Fiyero."

He nodded. "Go get her."

Galinda left the room.

Fiyero knelt beside her bed, panic in his eyes. "I'm sorry, Fae. I should've walked you over there this morning."

She wanted to shake her head. He had never walked her over there before. Fiyero was being stupid, blaming himself when he hadn't done anything wrong. Typical.

He kissed her forehead and held her hand, giving her a moment of silence and time to think. Dr. Dillamond was dead. It looked to her as though he'd been killed. So much blood. Blood… was she really miscarrying? She felt cramps in her abdomen worse than she'd ever felt before. This was a mess.

She'd met the girl downstairs once or twice. She was a sweet girl, but she was more Galinda's friend than Elphaba's. Her religious rambling reminded Elphaba too much of the maunts, although she could see why the poor thing had been so taken in by religion, with her father being a minister and her deformity. Having no arms must be awful, much worse than having green skin and a strange aversion to water. Elphaba had never met the girl's Nanny, though. And clearly the woman had never met her.

The look on the woman's face when she walked in and saw Elphaba was different than the looks of shock people usually gave Elphaba upon seeing her skin. And the shock lasted longer, then became more of a confusion. The woman took a deep breath and approached the bed. "What, exactly, is going on?"

Fiyero bit his lip, looking guilty. She hated that look. He squeezed her hand. "Well, Elphaba, is, well… she's pregnant. But she's bleeding."

Elphaba's words finally came back to her, though they came out softly. "It hurts. Near my stomach."

The old one shook her head softly. "Oh, dear. That doesn't sound good." She bent down across from Elphaba. "Can you spread your legs, dearie? I'm going to have to take a look, and probably more than just look, I'm afraid. What caused this? Was there any stressor?"

Elphaba grimaced. She didn't want Fiyero here. She didn't want Galinda here. One of them had to stay. "Fiyero, you have to tell someone about Dr. Dillamond."

"I am not leaving you here like this."

Elphaba gave Galinda a pleading look.

Galinda put a hand on Fiyero's shoulder. "Fiyero, we can take care of her. We're _female_. Maybe you should go tell Morrible."

Fiyero got the message. "I'm coming back the moment I can."

She didn't bother to argue.

When he was gone, Nanny looked at her. "I'm guessing he's part of the reason you're in this little predicament."

"We'd appreciate it if you didn't tell anyone," Galinda said.

"Oh, don't worry, dearie, Nanny knows how to keep a secret," the woman cackled, giving Elphaba a strange look. "Now, let me take a look."

Elphaba closed her eyes as the woman examined her. It felt like forever before the woman pulled back and sighed. "What?"

"I think you already know, dearie, but you are, in fact, having a miscarriage. It looks like most of the tissue has already come out or is going to come out on its own, which should be a blessing for you, dearie, because it's a painful process to have it pulled out."

Elphaba winced.

"Now what was this about Dr. Dillamond?"

"He's dead. Murdered. I went to his lab this morning and I found him…"

"Well, that would be the stressor that may have initiated the miscarriage." The old woman looked down at Elphaba. "I'm sorry for your loss, dearie."

"I'm not," Elphaba sighed. "I mean, I am. But we weren't planning on letting the pregnancy get to term. We were going to the City this coming weekend."

Nanny raised her eyebrows and Elphaba looked away. The woman got up and sat in a chair by the window. "I'm going to need to stay here until we can be sure it has… passed."

Elphaba tried to ignore the pain in her abdomen. It felt like whatever had been growing inside her was being literally torn out. So far she had resisted crying.

"Galinda, would you please tell Nessarose that I might be a while? I don't relish the thought of leaving her alone…"

"She can come up here." Elphaba pulled a blanket over herself. The bleeding had mostly stopped and the old woman had thought to put a towel under her, though she thought she'd have to get new sheets. "Just tell her I fainted at the sight of Dillamond's dead body. That's it."

Galinda nodded and went downstairs.

Elphaba stared at the ceiling, clenching her fists in her best attempt to ignore the stabbing pains. It wasn't supposed to happen like this. She supposed whatever procedure she'd have had would have hurt, too, but at least they had drugs for that.

"I know it hurts, dearie. You can stop pretending it doesn't."

"I never said it didn't hurt."

"Well, you aren't giving voice to it, and I know from midwifing that this is not a comfortable thing."

"You're right, it's not."

"That boy, he's…"

"He's none of your business," Elphaba replied shortly.

"I see I touched a nerve. I assume I don't need to lecture you on how to avoid this happening again." The woman raised her eyebrows at Elphaba.

"You don't. I know well enough."

"Obviously not."

Elphaba wished she had the strength to snap at the woman. "You don't know anything about this. _I know better_." Except she hadn't. She had let Fiyero sneak into her bed that night, knowing perfectly well that she hadn't exactly kept track of her cycle. She had planned to do some charting the week before they returned.

"Say what you will."

Galinda returned with Nessa then, who said a quick prayer for Elphaba. She only wished the prayers would stop the strange looks that old woman was giving her.


	35. Chapter 35: Fine

**Chapter Thirty-Five: Fine**

Fiyero couldn't get out of Morrible's office fast enough. She had wanted to go check on Elphaba – he'd told her that she'd fainted upon finding the body. Luckily, he'd talked her out of it and promised Elphaba would come see her when she felt better. He wondered how much pain she was in. He should never have let her go alone this morning, not with her being pregnant.

When he finally made it back to her dorm, the old woman was not the only company Elphaba and Galinda had. There was a girl without arms sitting in a wheelchair. He supposed she was the old woman's charge.

Galinda greeted him at the door. "We're keeping Elphaba company after her… um, fainting spell," she gave him a look.

He guessed they didn't want the girl to know what was going on so he nodded. "I wanted to keep her company as well." Fiyero pulled a chair up near the bed that Elphaba was lying in and asked softly, "Are you okay?"

She nodded, not looking at him. "I'm fine."

He reached for her hand but she pulled it away, glancing over at the girl in the corner who was now talking with Galinda about sorcery. Fiyero thought it was stupid that she still felt the need to hide. It was just one person, and this girl hardly looked the type to gossip.

"Have you met Nessarose?" Elphaba asked, gesturing to the girl.

The girl looked up. "Hi."

Fiyero almost stuck his hand out to shake hers but caught himself. "Hello. I'm Fiyero."

"You must be the friend that found Elphaba after she fainted."

"I am."

"Well, thank the Unnamed God that you were there. Clearly, He was watching over our dear Elphaba." Nessa smiled sweetly.

He tried not to laugh when Elphaba wrinkled her nose at this. "I suppose He was. It is nice to meet you, Nessarose."

She reminded him of someone, though he wasn't sure who. The girl went back to talking with Galinda.

He lowered his voice. "What happened?"

"Well," Elphaba said, still refusing to look at him, "you won't have to pay to get us to the City and all that."

He blinked. Fiyero honestly had no idea what to say in this situation. "Did it hurt?"

"I said I was fine."

"That was not the question I asked."

"What do you think, Fiyero? Now stop talking about it."

He wanted to be able to talk to her. He wouldn't even mind if they had this conversation with Galinda in the room, but the other two women were getting in the way. Fiyero just sighed and sat beside her. It was over an hour before Nessarose left, and Nanny had to take another "look" at Elphaba before she, too, left. Fiyero had been forced to leave the room for that. When it was finally just Fiyero, Elphaba and Galinda in the room, he said, "I'm so sorry."

"Fiyero, it wasn't your fault."

He grabbed her hand. "Look at me."

She did.

"Just because not all of this was my fault doesn't mean I can't be sorry, Fae."

Galinda sat down near them. "Oh, Elphie." Her eyes were tearing up.

"Oh, Galinda, don't cry."

"I'm not going to go by that name anymore. Dr. Dillamond always called me Glinda. In honor of him, and in honor of, well," she gestured at Elphaba's stomach, "I will go by Glinda from now on."

Somehow Fiyero thought Galinda – Glinda, oops – was more affected by what had happened to Elphaba than Elphaba was herself. Well, at least more than Elphaba would ever admit. Elphaba was probably more affected by what happened to Dr. Dillamond. She got straight to asking him about it. "What happened when you went to Morrible, Fiyero?"

"She walked with me over to the, um, scene. Then she sent me to sit in her office while she dealt with a few things and asked me some questions."

"What kind of questions?"

"Just what I saw in the area when we found him. She wanted to see you but I managed to talk her out of it. At least until tomorrow. She wanted to know why you weren't in the infirmary, but I told her that because of your allergy to water, Galinda – sorry, Glinda – and I knew better how to care for you than nurses."

"Good. And it seems you came up with the same story I did in regards to your illness. You just fainted."

"Well, I did actually pass out, Fiyero."

"But it was more than that and for other reasons."

She nodded.

He sat with her for a few more minutes. Eventually she started to nod off. Fiyero reached out and touched her forehead.

She flinched and looked up at him. "Yero, I need my rest. Maybe it's best if you go."

"After all this?"

"You spent the night here on Wednesday. You don't need to again."

"I promise, Fiyero, if something happens, I'll send for you right away," Glinda assured him.

"I'll see you tomorrow in class, anyway." Elphaba told him.

"Are you kidding me? You are not going to class tomorrow! You just had a miscarriage. Are you insane?" He folded his arms across his chest.

Elphaba glared at him. "I'm going."

"Really?" Fiyero sighed. "I don't think our morning life sciences class will be happening tomorrow, Fae." He hadn't wanted to remind her of that, but she wasn't going to be reasonable.

She blinked slowly. "Oh. You're right. I can't imagine Morrible will have found a new professor that quickly."

"I guess you can't go to class, then."

"I can. Just not in the morning. I should probably go talk to Morrible in the morning, though. She'll want to know what I saw."

"You are impossible!" Fiyero was exasperated. "Elphaba, please just listen to me. You are not healthy enough to go to class. If you faint or something else happens and I'm not there, someone will take you to the infirmary and then maybe they'll find out what really happened and _that_ can't be good."

Elphaba looked at him and bit her lip. "I guess you're right."

"Then may I come back tomorrow morning and check on you?"

She rolled her eyes but nodded. "Yes."

"I love you. You just take care of yourself."

"If you'll ever let me rest, I will."

He kissed her forehead gently. "Sleep well."

Elphaba smiled at him halfheartedly as he left.

He headed back to his apartment and climbed into his bed. The day was almost over but it felt like weeks had passed. But one thing had become clear to him: he could never let anything happen to Elphaba like that again. Fiyero blamed himself. How could he not?

He wanted to do something for her. Fiyero knew he couldn't exactly make everything better, but he wanted to make her feel at least a little happier. Well, she'd be on bed rest for a day or two, at least. Maybe he'd go to the bookstore early tomorrow morning and get her a book to keep her occupied. And he could bring her some good food to eat, too, something easy on her stomach. He couldn't imagine she was feeling that great.

Fiyero fell asleep thinking of all of the things he could do to make her feel better.


	36. Chapter 36: A Lot to Think About

**Chapter Thirty-Six: A Lot to Think About**

Just as she was about to finally fall asleep, someone knocked on the door _again_. "It's probably Fiyero, insisting he can't leave me tonight." Elphaba made to get up.

"Elphie, stay there!" Galinda leapt off of her bed. "You need to rest. Don't get up! I'll get the door."

It wasn't Fiyero at the door. It was Nessarose's Nanny. "Miss Elphaba, I've been doing a little thinking and I wished to speak with you about something."

"Can it wait? It's been a long day, as you well know."

"I think this is something you'll want to know."

Elphaba sat up slowly. "What is it?"

"I don't know how to tell you this."

Elphaba suddenly worried that the old woman had seen something more wrong with her when she'd examined her. "What is it?"

"Let me start from the beginning. Nessa's mother is the daughter of the Eminent Thropp of Munchkinland. Her father is a Unionist minister."

"I don't see what this has to do with…"  
>"You will. I have known Melena, Nessa's mother, since she was a born. One day eighteen or nineteen years ago, I got a letter asking me to come immediately to their home. Melena had given birth. When I arrived, I found the couple standing above a cradle looking… afraid. When I reached the cradle, I saw why. The child was different."<p>

Elphaba thought she knew where this was going. But it couldn't be. It wasn't possible. She just nodded and looked at the old woman, waiting for her to continue.

"She was green."

Glinda gasped.

"Wait a second…"

"Let me finished. The couple knew they could not keep the child. Frex, Nessa's father, was, as I already told you, a minister. Having a green child would not make him look very godly, would it? But they didn't know what to do. So they asked me. I journeyed to the Emerald City on my own and left the child the one place I knew it would be taken care of."

"The doorstep of a mauntery."

"Exactly."

"So… Nessa, she's my sister?"

"She is."

"Why are you telling me all this _now_?"

"I didn't know what had become of you until I stepped in here today and saw you. I asked Nessa and Miss Glinda, then, about your history. The moment I was told you were raised in a mauntery, I knew you were that child. I don't know how you ended up here, and with that Vinkun boy, but…"

"The maunts sent me to be a schoolmarm in the Vinkus when I came of age. Fiyero convinced his parents to send me here with him so I could learn more to teach his siblings." Elphaba reiterated quickly. "But, wait, I don't understand. After having a green child, why did my parents try to have another? Didn't they think they'd have another like me?"

"They probably wouldn't have in most cases. But your mother, she's… a bit promiscuous. In fact, she was never sure that Frex was your father. And, though Nessa doesn't know, Nessa may not be his daughter, either."

"Does Nessa know about me?"

"She does not. And you have a brother, as well, who I'm almost certain is actually Frex's. His name is Shell. He's not even ten."

"What am I supposed to do now?"

"That is up to you, dearie. I merely thought you should know."

"What about my parents? Are you going to tell them you met me?"

"I cannot be sure. I suppose I can't stop you if you would like to go find them and talk to them, or if you want me to tell them something."

"Why? Why should I want to talk to them when they didn't want me? They couldn't even get rid of me themselves."

"I never said you should want to talk to them. I merely said that if you wanted to, I wouldn't stop you. That was all."

Elphaba swallowed hard, trying to digest everything.

"Well, dearie, I just thought you needed to know this. But you really do need your rest after today's ordeal. I will go." The old woman got up and left without another word.

Glinda turned to her as the door closed. "Sweet Oz, Elphaba!"

"Glinda, please don't talk to me about this right now. I need time to think. And, as she said, I need to sleep." Elphaba reached over to her bedside table and took the sleeping draught she had inside it. She took a small sip.

Glinda looked disappointed, but did not push the subject. Elphaba distracted herself with thinking about what had happened to Dr. Dillamond until sleep finally took her.

"Elphie, Fiyero's here." Glinda shook her awake gently the next morning.

Elphaba looked up and saw Fiyero standing behind her roommate, holding something, the worry still on his face – as it had been for the past week or so. "Yero."

"Hey there." He bent down beside her bed. "I brought you something, since you're stuck lying here today."

She smiled at him lightly. "What?"

He handed her a book. "It's on Animal science. I thought you might like to read it." He paused. "How are you feeling, Fae?"

"Better."

"Are you sure? It was hard to wake you up, and you usually wake up pretty easily."

"I took some sleeping draught."

"Were you in too much pain to sleep without help?"

"Not exactly…"

"Elphaba, tell him what happened last night!" Glinda insisted.

"What happened last night?" Fiyero looked alarmed.

"Relax. It's nothing scary."

"Tell me."

Elphaba sighed. "The old woman came back here. Nessa is my sister. The old woman helped my parents get rid of me when I was a baby. That's about it."

Fiyero stared at her with his mouth hanging open. "Oh my Oz, Fae, that's…"

"Don't start. I haven't had time to really think about it and I don't want to talk about it just yet."

He bit his lip. Clearly he wasn't sure if he was going to obey her wishes or continue to bother her about it. But he didn't get to decide. Someone knocked on the door. Before Glinda could even open the door, the door unlocked and Madame Morrible strode in the room. "I see Miss Elphaba already has a visitor. Prince Fiyero, it is quite kind of you to be so concerned over your… friend."

Madame Morrible knew Elphaba was merely a servant at Kiamo Ko. She knew everything. Fiyero straightened up. "Well, I just wanted to make sure everything was okay." He didn't look the headmistress in the eyes.

"So did I. And I had a few questions for her."

Elphaba wondered if she'd ever have a moment to herself to think. "I thought you might."

"Are you feeling better, my dear?"

"I'm fine."

"That's good to hear. Are you sure you shouldn't be in the infirmary?"

"Fiyero already explained that to you, I believe," Elphaba shrugged.

Morrible nodded. "Tell me what you saw when you arrived at Dr. Dillamond's yesterday morning."

Had that only been yesterday morning? It felt like it had been weeks, months. "I don't quite remember." She remembered everything. But she didn't feel like disclosing it all. She wanted to go over it for herself. Something about it bothered her. "I just remember blood."

"I see. Sometimes traumatic experiences can do that to you." But the woman seemed uneasy. "Perhaps I shall check in with you in several days, see if your memory has recovered."

"That might be a better idea. I'm sorry, Madame."

"It's fine." The woman swept out of the room.

"You really don't remember anything?" Fiyero asked.

"I do. And that's the problem. Fiyero, I think she killed him."


	37. Chapter 37: Believe Me

**AN: Things have been a little... tough lately. I got laid off. And I've just been laying around (that comes with having depression). Anyway, I'm trying to keep writing, and I am, but it's a lot slower. But this story has a definite ending planned already, anyway, so don't worry about that.**

**Also, I received a message a while back telling me I should delete the stories I haven't finished and don't think I will finish. First of all, I never know. Second of all, if I were one of my own fans, I wouldn't want that. There are a few stories out there that weren't finished that I like to go back and re-read parts of all the time. I understand that it's disappointing. Maybe at the beginning I should insert an author's note saying that "this story isn't finished and may never be, so read at your own risk"? I don't know. Anyway, here's some more.**

**Chapter Thirty-Seven: Believe Me**

Elphaba believed that Morrible's tik-tok servant had murdered Dr. Dillamond. She told him and Glinda that she remembered seeing a spring rolling around the floor, a spring like the ones that were constantly coming out of that contraption. She knew how Morrible hated Animals. It had to be her.

"You're getting yourself worked up, Fae." Fiyero told her when she was finished. "That may or may not be true, but there is nothing you can do right now."

Elphaba sighed. "Someone has to do something!"

"Do what?"

She shook her head. "I don't know."

Glinda put in her two cents. "Elphie, I think you're a little shaken up right now. You have had a whirlwind couple of days. Think about what you're saying."

Elphaba's face got red. "Why is no one listening to me? She had him killed! I know it."

"I'm listening, Fae. But right now, that's not my main concern," he said gently.

"It should be!"

"My main concern is you, Elphaba. You just lost a baby. And on top of all of that, you finally found out about your family."

"Do you think I'm unaware of that? There's still a little pain, Fiyero. And the bleeding, yes, it's down to a trickle, but I'm still… but that's not the point!"

"It is." Fiyero caressed her cheek. "You're still ill. Please don't get upset like this. I don't know how much you can handle."

"I can handle anything I need to!" Elphaba pulled herself out of the bed and began to walk across the room, but her leg fell underneath her after one step and she hit the floor. She pulled herself into a sitting position almost immediately afterwards. "Okay, maybe I can't do a lot right now, but my _mind_ is perfectly fine."

Fiyero took her hand and helped her back into her bed. "You're not the slightest bit upset about what happened?"

"Which thing? Dr. Dillamond's death? Yes."

"The miscarriage. That was our _child_, Fae."

"A child we were going to get rid of in a week anyway, Yero. Yes, I'm upset. Don't give me that. But I'm trying to remind myself that… that maybe this was better."

He couldn't exactly deny that. "Let's deal with one thing at a time. First, get better."

She wouldn't stay out of classes for more than two days. By Wednesday, she was walking around campus – slowly, of course. Fiyero did convince her to let him take her to and from her classes when it was feasible. And she was not to leave her dorm for anything but classes.

By the end of the week, she seemed to be feeling almost normal (well, as normal as she could be after what she'd gone through) and he thought maybe it was time to talk a little bit more about the other events of the previous weekend. He brought her to his apartment Friday night.

"Fiyero, I'm not ready to…"

"You don't think I know that?" Fiyero laughed. "But I think we could use some time alone."

"Oh," Elphaba flushed. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to jump to that conclusion."

He walked over to the couch and sat down. She sat down beside him. "It's fine. You are feeling a lot better, though, right?"

She nodded. "There's no pain. I just don't want to risk doing anything. I need to see when my cycle starts, Yero, so I can start calculating again."

"I think that's a good idea." He put a hand on her knee. "Have you thought about what you found out about your family?"

She didn't seem to like being asked that question, but she nodded. "I don't want to meet my parents. I've known that since I was young. But part of me wants to tell Nessarose. She didn't try to get rid of me. She wasn't even alive then. And Nanny told me a little more. My mother, in an effort to make sure Nessa wasn't green, took some drugs. They're the reason Nessa has no arms. I feel obligated to tell her who I am, at least."

"And what if she says something to your parents?"

"That's her decision."

"And what if they want to meet you?"

"I don't know. If they try, I guess I'll go along with it, but I certainly won't try to be nice."

"What about Nanny?"

"I don't know what to think about the woman. She didn't choose to get rid of me, but she did help. But I don't know that she had any other choice in that matter. She's an amusing old woman, too. She wants to know about me, about you, about my life. I'm not sure what I want to tell her."

"This must be confusing for you, Fae."

"A little. I never expected this. I thought I wouldn't have siblings. I figured I'd never know who my parents were. I never bothered to wonder about them because I thought it was useless to wonder about something I'd never know. I feel like it's too late for anything to really change because of all this, anyway."

"It's never too late."

Elphaba sighed. "Oh, you are so naïve. If you understood, Yero, maybe you'd think differently. Glinda's been pestering me about the same thing. She thinks I should meet them. I don't think it's a good idea."

"I see both sides of that. If you're not comfortable, Fae, then you're not comfortable."

"I'm not. Not now."

"Then that's fine." He wrapped her in his arms. "I love you."

"I love you, too." She laid a head on his shoulder.

Fiyero held her like that for twenty or thirty minutes in silence. Her eyes closed, but he knew she wasn't sleeping. She was trying not to think. She was trying to be at peace. He hoped she was. After some time, he kissed her forehead.

She smiled up at him, opening her eyes. "Can we eat dinner now?"

"Of course." He got up and headed into the kitchen. She made to follow him. "Let me handle it. It's just sandwiches, Fae."

She nodded and curled up in the corner of the couch, grabbing a book off of the table beside it and flipping through it. He handed her the sandwich after ten minutes and she munched on it, still engrossed in the book.

"Do you still think Madame Morrible had Dr. Dillamond murdered, Fae?" He asked after a few minutes.

"I do."

"I can see why you might think that. You have to understand that I'm not doubting you. I just didn't want you to hurt yourself or get in trouble."

"I know that, Fiyero. You like to protect me, even from myself."

"I like to try. But what do you plan to do about the whole thing?"

"I have my notes from our research. I know I can't get my hands on his. They cleaned the building out while I was still lying in my bed. I can do a little research with that."

"What about his murder?"

"There's nothing I can do. You were right about that. Not here. Who do I report something like that to, Fiyero? Madame Morrible? She's the authority here. Unless I want to go to the Emerald City and tell the law enforcement there, there's nothing to do now."

He was glad she wasn't going to do anything about the murder. She could get herself in trouble, a lot of it. He hoped that doing just a little research wouldn't cause her any problems. "One day things will change, Fae."

"I hope so, I really hope so." She got up and went to the bedroom. She undressed and began to oil herself. Fiyero followed and helped her with her back and shoulders. He kissed both shoulders and let her finish on her own, respecting the fact that she wasn't ready to be touched too intimately. He got into his pajamas and crawled into bed, waiting for her.

A few minutes later, she put her nightgown on and joined him. He wrapped an arm around her waist and held her close to him. "It will all be okay, Fae, I promise." He didn't know what he was thinking, making a promise like that in their situation. The chances that they could be okay together weren't great. But still, he wanted to make everything okay. If only he could.

She shook her head, but said nothing more.


	38. Chapter 38: A Case of Need

**AN: Hey guys. I was so touched by the wonderful reviews and kind wishes you all sent me after my author's note last chapter. It means a lot to me. Maybe one day, I'll write a bestseller and I won't NEED a job, lol. Once I can stop stealing other people's characters and start writing my own :-p. Also, I wasn't angry at the person who suggested I get rid of my other stories that aren't finished, I was just wondering if I should or not (which, considering all of the reviews, I will most definitely LEAVE those stories here). I can see both sides of that, and I was just wondering how the majority of you felt. Thank you for telling me. And there are a few that occasionally I think of finishing. And there are some that, I think, have already been dragged on too long and I need to find a clean ending. What I like about the past two stories I've written that has helped me come to an end quickly enough is the outline. Having a plan instead of just writing what I feel like is really helpful. It worked with "From Elphaba to Fae" and, considering how quickly I got to that ending and how much I have always loved that story, I think I might need to go through and write outlines, see what I can come up with. "Forced Love" will be the first for me to outline, because I think I had a fun idea, but I didn't know exactly where I was going with it, and that's important. I'm also totally open to ideas.**

**Also, as of this publishing, I am (writing-wise) only two or three chapters from writing the end of this story. I'm on chapter forty-two right now, and there should be forty-four or so. We shall see.**

**Again, thank you for all of the sweet comments and well-wishes.**

**Chapter Thirty-Eight: A Case of Need**

Winter break came quickly after all of that. She felt like she'd barely had time to process everything that happened before she found herself back inside the walls of Kiamo Ko. Fiyero's parents even greeted her somewhat warmly.

"Miss Elphaba, we heard that you had a bit of an illness. We were quite concerned." Fiyero's mother said after hugging and kissing her son.

Madame Morrible must've written them. If she had written them about her supposed "fainting spell" she most certainly would've written them about Elphaba's other problem had she known. Elphaba nodded. "I'm fine. Did you hear exactly what happened?"

"All Madame Morrible told us was that you fainted and that you were then bedridden for two days of classes."

"Well, I can't exactly blame her for fainting. Mom, Dad, she found our professor dead. She was just lucky she forgot her notebook and," Fiyero paused and Elphaba shot him a look, "her roommate, uh, came to find her."

Elphaba raised her eyebrows at Fiyero. He had gotten pretty close to giving them away. She shook her head. "I'm fine now, though."

"What happened to your professor?"

"A lab accident," she lied. Well, that was the lie Morrible told, too. "I was going to help him with his research."

"Well, we are glad that you're okay." Fiyero's mother turned to her son. "Now, Fiyero, please, come sit in the living room with us and tell us all about your semester."

Fiyero gave Elphaba a sad smile and she nodded at him. He was off to relax and talk with his parents and she was to unpack and start working in the kitchens right away. So that's what she did.

That night he snuck into her bedroom after she'd changed into her nightclothes. She looked up when he entered, smiling. "We didn't discuss whether or not you visiting me was a good idea." But she didn't mind.

"Fae," he came up to the bed and cupped her cheek, "I can't go through what I went through this summer, barely able to see you. We don't even have to make love; just let me stay here with you."

They'd started making love again two weeks previously, and Fiyero felt the need to tell her that she "didn't have to" every single time, just in case she was uncomfortable after everything. She laughed. "Oh, Yero, you're ridiculous. Believe me, I'll tell you if I don't want to."

Afterwards, he kissed his way along her body softly. "I love you."

"I love you, too." She looked at him. "But we really should've talked about whether you sneaking in here was a good idea."

"Fae…"

"I'm not going to tell you not to." She wanted him there, but she hated giving in. But after everything, a small part of her needed him. That feeling would go away in time, she assured herself. It was only a temporary thing, a result of the miscarriage, of Dr. Dillamond's death, of what she'd found out about her family… all in one day. Once things died down a little more (more than they had in the past month), she'd be able to let go of him if she needed to – as she knew she'd need to. Just not right now.

"Good. I don't ever want to be without you."

But he'd have to. They both knew that. One day he'd have to marry Sarima. Even if she could handle it and stayed, which she knew she couldn't, they wouldn't have a lot of time together. Their time as it was together was limited. She didn't want to talk about that. In the past weeks when she'd thought about it, she'd caught herself almost tearing up, uncharacteristic as it was. She supposed she was still going through hormonal changes from the miscarriage.

He kissed her softly on the mouth. "Are you okay?"

She nodded. "I'm fine. It's just late."

"Do you want me to leave?"

She wanted to tell him that no, she didn't want him to leave, ever. She wanted to beg him to hold her. But she knew she couldn't fool herself. "Maybe it would be best."

He seemed saddened by that, but nodded. "I'll be back."

"Next week, Yero, we can't…"

"I'll still be back." He smiled at her as he got up. "I love you. Have a good night."

"I'll try." As the door shut behind him, she rolled over in the bed and pulled the blanket over her eyes, squeezing them shut. It had become harder and harder to sleep. At some point, she drifted off.

Fiyero did sneak into her room quite often, but there was one night when she really didn't expect him.

"Fiyero, what are you doing in here? It's nearly morning and it's Lurlinemas, for Oz's sake. Your sister and brother will probably be getting up insanely early to open presents."

"Which is why I'm up earlier. You can't open this in the living room with the rest of us, but I wanted to be here when you opened it. Can you turn on a small light?"

She did. "Please tell me you didn't actually get me something, Yero."

His guilty look told her all she needed to know.

"I shouldn't have even bothered to tell you not to. You never listen."

"I listen when it's important. But this is just silly. You never let me do anything for you."

There was a reason for that. The more she let him do, the more accustomed to it she'd get. And it couldn't be that way always. She was not going to get into the habit of depending on him. But this was just a little gift. He'd never let her refuse it, anyway. "Fine."

He sat beside her on the bed and handed her a small box. Fiyero stared at her intently, waiting for her to open it. She hated him staring.

"Fiyero, don't look at me like that."

"Like what?"

She didn't know how to explain it to him, so she sighed and opened the gift, trying to ignore his gaze on her. "Um, Yero…"

He looked at her, confused. "What?"

"I can't…"

"Don't tell me you can't take it, Fae. I had it made specially for you. I can't take it back, so you have to keep it."

She gave him a half smile. "That wasn't what I was going to say. You know I can never wear it, right? Not around here, not at Shiz."

"Why…?"

"You know why. Around here, everyone would wonder where a schoolmarm with no money got such an expensive necklace. And at Shiz, everyone knows I'm not well off, Yero. If someone asks who gave it to me, what exactly do I say?"

He frowned.

She kissed him on the cheek. "It's beautiful. It really is. And I love it. But…"

"I guess I didn't complete think that idea through," Fiyero sighed.

She saw the disappointment in his eyes. "I will wear it. Never here. But every night at Shiz, before I go to bed, I will put it on."

That seemed to brighten his attitude a little.

The gold felt so… fragile between her fingers. The chain was so thin, so smooth. And the small but elegant emerald heart that hung from the chain felt cold on her collarbone when he took it from her and placed it around her neck.

"I just wanted to see it on you." He smiled.

"And now you can take it off," she said. She caught him starting to frown again. "And perhaps you can take off my nightgown, too?"

That put the smile right back on his face. But he refused to let her take the necklace off until he left her later that morning. He had good timing, too, because moments later she heard Rienna running to his room and knocking on his door haphazardly, shouting that it was time to open presents. She smiled sadly at that.

She was really going to have to do something about the way she was starting to need him.


	39. Chapter 39: Trust Me

**Chapter Thirty-Nine: Trust Me**

Things never were uneventful for long, it seemed. Not with Elphaba. He had noticed she'd been a bit more… sentimental since the miscarriage. She had tried her best not to show it, but there was very little she could hide from him, though she tried. The week after they got back, Elphaba requested Glinda have Nessarose come visit – with Nanny, of course. For some reason, she allowed Fiyero to be there, too. She didn't tell any of them what this was about, be he had a good enough guess.

When Nessa entered, Elphaba seemed to falter for a moment. She was seated on her bed. Fiyero sat in a chair by her desk quite a ways away, knowing that this wasn't a moment he needed to intrude upon more than he already was.

Nessa looked at Glinda expectantly. Glinda turned to Elphaba. And Elphaba took a deep breath. "Nessarose, there's something I think you need to know."

Nessa seemed confused, but nodded. Behind her, Nanny gave Elphaba a gesture, telling her to continue.

"I'm not quite sure how to explain this, or where to start. You know I was raised in a mauntery, right? That I don't know who my parents are?"

She nodded. "But at least you had the Unnamed God."

Elphaba was clearing fighting not to argue on that. She bit her lip, but went on. "Nessa, a little while ago, I found out a little bit about my family. In fact, I met my sister."

"That's wonderful. But I don't understand what this has to do with me."

"Just get to the point already," Nanny huffed.

Elphaba was usually quite good at that. Fiyero watched her struggle with what to say. In the end, she decided to just say it. "Nessa, you are my sister."

Nessa's first reaction was to look at Nanny. Nanny nodded at her solemnly. She turned back to Elphaba. "But… but why?"

"Look at me, Nessa. Just think about how that would look, with your parents being who they are."

"Still, I don't understand."

"I can't explain it to you. Maybe they can. But I'm not going to ask."

"You're not?"

"I'm not."

"I see." Nessa nodded slowly. She looked over towards Fiyero. "So I guess that makes you my sister's boyfriend?"

Fiyero raised his eyebrows. No one had told Nessa that Fiyero was anything more than a friend to Elphaba. "I…"

Elphaba laughed, which surprised him. "It does. I guess I can't hide that from my own sister, can I?" She smiled gently at Nessa.

He watched Elphaba carefully. She was being sweet, almost nurturing towards Nessa. Perhaps it was because she blamed herself for Nessa's disability. Perhaps it was because she had never had a family before. He wasn't sure, but it intrigued him.

"Then can you tell me a little about your life, Elphaba?" Nessa asked. "I want to know how you grew up. What happened after you were left at the mauntery? How did you get here?"

He wondered exactly how much Elphaba was going to tell Nessa, what she'd leave out. There was so much that had happened since she'd arrived at Kiamo Ko.

"Well," Elphaba began, "when I turned sixteen, the oldest maunt approached me. If I wasn't going to take up the faith, it was time for me to leave."

"Why didn't you take up the faith?"

"I had been in the mauntery for as long as I could remember. If I took up the faith, I'd never really see much of the world."

Nessa nodded. "I suppose I can understand."

"They sent me to the Vinkus, to…" Here was where it got complicated. "I was to be a schoolmarm for the royal family of the Arjiki tribe, and a servant. And I was to tutor Fiyero, who is the crown prince, to prepare him for Shiz." She exchanged glances with Fiyero. What, exactly, was she going to tell Nessa about their situation, about his impending marriage? "Eventually, Fiyero's parents decided that it would be a good, um, investment to send me to Shiz, so I'd be better educated to teach his siblings."

"And you and Fiyero fell in love?"

Fiyero noticed that Glinda was watching this encounter with as much interest as he was. They were the only two people who knew the whole story. Glinda said, "It would seem so, wouldn't it? They're so cute together."

Elphaba rolled her eyes. "And then I got here, ended up rooming with Glinda and that's about it."

And then Nessa asked the question he knew Elphaba had been hoping she wouldn't. "Are you and Fiyero engaged?"

Elphaba swallowed hard and looked at her lap.

Nanny could tell that something was going on. She was looking at Elphaba with a curious look. But perhaps she thought not to push it in front of Nessa, because she said, "Nessa, I know she's your sister, but that's a bit personal, isn't it?"

"Oh! I apologize. I'm just so curious."

Elphaba smiled uncomfortably. "It's fine, Nessa. And the truth is, Fiyero's parents don't even know. Um, since I'm a servant and all, we're going to give them some time to get used to the idea before we tell them we're dating. That's why we're keeping it a secret." In a way, that was mostly true. "But I'm sure now that we're starting to get to know each other, we'll have plenty of time to talk about all of that," she said. After that, she quickly turned the questions around and directed them at Nessa.

It was late in afternoon when Nessa and Nanny left. Fiyero finally got up from the chair, limping a little as he found one leg was asleep. He walked over to Elphaba's bed and sat beside her, taking her hand. "I'm glad you're trying to get to know your sister."

Elphaba didn't seem as happy. "I feel like I'm lying to her. When it got to talking about you, or about Kiamo Ko… it's just too complicated. She'd never understand."

"Maybe when you get more comfortable, you'll be able to tell her," Glinda said.

Elphaba just shrugged.

He could tell she was still a little bothered, but thought it best to let her work it out on her own. "So, it's getting close to evening. Why don't you come back to my apartment?"

Glinda frowned. "I don't see why you guys don't spend more time here."

Elphaba snorted.

Glinda blushed. "Oh, yeah… that."

Fiyero tried to hide his grin, but Elphaba caught it and glared at him. "What?"

"I know what's on your mind, that's what."

"And it's not on yours?"

Her response was merely to raise her eyebrows at him. She grabbed her schoolbag, which already had everything she needed for the next day, and headed out the door with him. As the door shut behind him, she said, "Glinda prods me enough about our love life without you saying anything."

"I didn't say anything!" He protested.

She shrugged and looked around her.

"Elphaba, no one is watching us. No one cares enough to, anyway. Who, exactly, is going to tell my parents, Fae?"

"Madame Morrible. She wrote them when I was ill…"

"Of course she did. She didn't want them finding out something like that from anyone else – you found Dr. Dillamond dead. That leaves her liable. This," he took her hand, "is not her problem."

She pulled her hand away. "I don't trust her."

"She's never out and about campus on Saturdays."

"She has… spies."

Elphaba was talking about the tik-tok creature she was sure had murdered Dr. Dillamond. He sighed and let it drop. "Fine."

They entered his building and walked up the stairs. "Sometimes I don't know who I can trust."

"You can trust me, Fae." The idea that she didn't upset him.

"I don't even think twice about _you_, Yero. I'm not referring to you. But Nessa. She seems sweet, and she's my sister, but... and the old woman… and sometimes I even wonder about Glinda."

"You really are paranoid. Glinda?"

"I don't know. Madame Morrible loves her. She's always fussing over her in class. She's her advisor."

"That means nothing!" Fiyero unlocked the door to his apartment. He was starting to worry about Elphaba's paranoia. She'd become angry lately. And fierce. She was always fierce. But it was different now. And her inability to trust anyone else… this whole Animal rights thing was more serious than he thought.


	40. Chapter 40: Selfish Choices

**Chapter Forty: Selfish Choices**

One afternoon halfway through the semester, Madame Morrible burst into Elphaba and Glinda's room while the two were practicing their spells. Elphaba froze. Had Morrible found out she'd been doing her own research about Animals? Had she overheard Elphaba say something unpleasant about her? When the woman smiled, it unnerved her even more. "I have news for both of you."

Both of them? It couldn't be what Elphaba dreaded, then. Glinda had no idea. She took a deep breath. "What it is, Madame?"

The woman beamed at them. "The two of you have been invited," she said proudly, "to meet the Wizard."

Glinda's eyes widened "Really, Madame?"

"The Wizard asked me several years ago to send him some of my sorcery students, my most impressive students, and when I told him about the two of you, he asked me to extend an invitation. You are to go to the Emerald City this coming weekend. All the arrangements have been made." The woman handed the two girls several sheets of glittery emerald paper. "If either of you have a problem," she looked pointedly at Elphaba, "just let me know."

As the woman closed the door behind her, Elphaba turned to her roommate. "I don't like this."

"Why not?"

"I can see why she'd send you to the Wizard, Glinda. You're her golden girl. But me? Yes, she never gives me a bad mark in sorcery, but she does not like my personality."

"Maybe it's not about personality. Maybe it's about how smart we are."

Elphaba sighed. Perhaps. But Madame Morrible would never have admitted Elphaba's intelligence if she didn't have to. Why would she tell the Wizard? Maybe she'd ask him when they met.

Fiyero didn't want her to go. Well, not quite. He didn't want her to go _without him_. She wasn't surprised. "Please, Fae, let me come with."

"No. Are you completely clueless, Fiyero? In the City, a green girl and an Arjiki boy would attract much more attention. Your father has friends in the City. It isn't safe!"

"We could just say I was asked to come along to protect the two of you. I mean, two girls wandering about the City alone isn't necessarily…" He stopped when she glared at him.

"And if they asked Madame Morrible about that, Fiyero? And you know I can take care of myself, thank you very much."

Fiyero sighed and shook his head. "And what were you going to do about us being seen in the City when we thought we'd have to go to, well, get you that 'procedure,' Fae?"

"I didn't really expect to be out in public much," she snapped. She didn't appreciate that he'd brought up something she'd much rather forget. They were in his apartment, sitting on his couch. Elphaba stood up then and walked, though she wasn't sure where. She wasn't going to just leave the apartment, but she didn't want to be sitting next to him. She ended up next to the bookshelf, looking out the window. "And we agreed we wouldn't talk about… that."

He came up behind her and put a hand on her shoulder. "You can't just pretend it didn't happen."

She whirled on him. "I can and I will. We talked about it enough right after it happened."

He wrapped his arms around her waist and pressed his face into her hair. "I love you," he murmured.

Elphaba softened. "I love you, too. But you can't come with."

He smiled against her neck. "I figured. I had to try."

"And we're not talking about that other thing. Not now. Maybe one day, Fiyero, but not now."

He kissed her lips. "I'll settle for that."

And so at that Friday, the two girls sat in a carriage on the way to the Emerald City. Elphaba had been excited, until she'd realized that Glinda was expecting to talk the whole way. "So, Elphie, how was last night with Fiyero?"

Fiyero had insisted that she spend the night before she left, since she wouldn't be back until late Saturday and therefore would miss some of the time she'd usually spend in his apartment. "It was the same as it always is."

Glinda giggled. "Elphie, how long have the two of you been sleeping together? I mean, you came to Shiz and you were already…"

"No, Glinda, we weren't. Not in that sense. And it's not your business, but we didn't start sleeping together until _after_ we started classes."

"Wait, I thought, when he told you he loved you, that you'd been…"

"Not until that night. Can we stop talking about Fiyero?" Elphaba wanted a breath of fresh air, time away from him. She needed it. Because if she didn't get it, she'd never be able to let him go when the time came.

Glinda raised her eyebrows. "I'm sorry."

"I'd really just rather read my book for a bit. I have questions about the City I wanted to ask the Wizard, but I want to know what I'm talking about."

"What do you mean you want to ask him questions? The Wizard doesn't get _questioned_."

Elphaba shrugged.

It was late when they arrived at the hotel and they were to meet the Wizard in the morning. Elphaba climbed right into the twin bed near the window. The room set up was actually eerily close to their dorm room. She thought about things she wanted to say to the Wizard, about Dr. Dillamond, about the Animals, and drifted off to sleep.

The next morning, the two young women were escorted to the Wizard's palace around nine. They sat in the waiting room until eleven. Elphaba had it in her head to get up and walk out when a guard finally came for them at half past. "It's about time," she muttered under her breath.

They sat in front of some strange contraption with a large face. After a few moments, the Wizard came out from behind it and sat at the head of the table at which they were seated. "Hello, ladies."

"Hello, your Ozness. It's such a pleasure to meet you!" Glinda exclaimed.

"Hello," Elphaba said simply, ignoring Glinda's look.

"I have a… business proposition… that I have wanted to discuss." The old man took a deep breath. "Many years ago, I asked Madame Morrible to send students with certain qualifications my way, qualifications in sorcery. At first, she only wanted to send me Miss Glinda here, but she mentioned something about Miss Thropp off-hand and I requested she join as well."

"Speaking of Madame Morrible, sir, there have been some things going on at Shiz…" Elphaba began.

"I know all of it. Nothing goes on at Shiz without my say so and knowledge."

"But Dr. Dillamond…"

"The Goat? Oh, don't fret about that." The Wizard waved Elphaba away.

"You _know _about that? And you don't care?" Elphaba's throat went dry.

"Who do you think had it all arranged? The Goat was causing trouble, young lady, and we can't have that."

Elphaba could not think of what to say next, so she merely listened. The Wizard proposed that she and Glinda become delegates for the Wizard. They would be in charge of specific parts of Oz – Elphaba the East (though she had no connections there, well, aside from the birth parents who had never met her) and Glinda the North. He'd need someone for the South, another sorceress (Glinda suggested Nessarose at this point). He said the West was uncivilized and useless, so there was no need to watch them (another thing that further horrified Elphaba). When she was finally able to speak again, she asked for time to think. The Wizard told her she could have until she finished Shiz.

The moment they were escorted out of the Wizard's palace, she wanted to run. She didn't know where, but she wanted to. Elphaba looked around, wondering exactly what to do.

"Can you believe it, Elphie? Delegates to the Wizard!"

Elphaba turned to her roommate. "Glinda, we can't."

"Why not? It's amazing!"

"Glinda, did you not understand a word he said in there? _He_'s the one who had Dr. Dillamond killed!"

"He didn't exactly say that…" Glinda looked at the dirt on the street, unable to meet Elphaba's eyes.

"You and I both know what he meant."

"But Elphie…"

"No. I… I can't stay at Shiz. I can't do this. I have to get out of here."

"Get out of here to where, Elphie? And what about Fiyero?" Glinda put a hand on her roommate's arm.

_Fiyero_… Elphaba swallowed hard. There would be plenty of time to run, to get away. But she only had so much time with him. After Shiz, he'd be married. It wasn't like she'd stay in the Vinkus after that, anyway. She could run then. It felt selfish, and it made her nauseous, but she realized she had no concrete ideas of what to do at the moment, anyway. Sighing, she followed Glinda into the carriage that waited for them. But there was a veil over the world now, specifically Shiz and the City.


	41. Chapter 41: Rifts

**Chapter Forty-One: Rifts**

"A delegate?" Fiyero's eyes widened. "That's… incredible."

"But it isn't, Fiyero. The Wizard said…"

"Stop, Fae. Maybe… if you were to be a delegate to the Wizard, maybe… maybe my parents would accept you and…"

Elphaba looked at him with uncertainty and he saw something change in her eyes, a light came back – one that he'd noticed had been missing when she'd come back from the City. "Fiyero, I don't know…"

"We don't have to tell them, now. But when we graduate, we can maybe mention it and see…" He grasped her hand tightly.

Elphaba shook her head. "Why mention it if I'm not going to do it?"

"Why not?"

"Because, Fiyero, what did I just tell you? I can't! He's the one behind everything I hate, everything I want to change!"

He didn't understand her at all. If she took this, maybe they could be together, and still she wouldn't do it. "But, Fae, we could stay together."

She lowered her eyes. "That's selfish. Instead of trying to help others, I'll hurt them instead just so I can have the love of my life?"

"The love of your life?" Fiyero repeated, a half smile on his face. "I like that."

Elphaba's face darkened. "Oh, stop that. I just meant that… forget it. Fiyero, I can't do it. I just can't."

"He gave you time to think. Why don't you take that time? Think about how taking that job could help the Animals."

"How?"

"I don't know. You'll have power. You figure it out. But please, Fae, just think about it before you go off half-cocked and refuse."

Elphaba sighed and leaned back on his couch. "I guess. It can't hurt to wait to tell him no. If I told him now, he might turn Madame Morrible even more against me than she already is. I can't afford that."

"Then it's settled. You'll think about it."

"Don't get your hopes up, Fiyero. And don't go thinking that your parents will change their minds, either. They're stubborn."

"We'll wait on that and see." He didn't want to give up hope.

She rolled her eyes, but leaned against him. "That's the best we can do."

He wrapped her in his arms. "I love you so much."

"I love you, too."

But he could tell she wasn't happy with what had happened. Still, there was nothing they could do and she needed to accept that. Maybe in time, she could change things. He didn't know if or how she could, but she was the smart one in that regard. He kept holding her, hoping that it would be enough and knowing that it wasn't.

Glinda and Elphaba were at odds about everything, too, he saw. He couldn't spend more than an hour with both of them without them arguing about the situation. It had created a rift in their friendship. They were still friends, but there was much more arguing (and there had already been plenty to begin with).

"But Elphie, if you don't do it, then he'll get someone else, someone dreadful, I just know it. And I don't want someone else to be a delegate! Not if I have to work with them," Glinda protested.

"I'm glad you have no qualms about the situation." Elphaba folded her arms across her chest.

It had already been a few weeks, and it had gone on like this constantly. Fiyero sighed and leaned against the wall. "Haven't you two been over this?"

"Yes. But I'm still hoping she'll change her mind!" Glinda huffed.

"Good luck with that," Fiyero muttered.

Elphaba glared at him. "I never said I made a decision in the first place! I merely stated that it isn't an idea I'm fond of."

"I know you, Elphie. You've already made a decision."

"I haven't."

Fiyero hoped this was the case. "Glinda, I talked to her about it. You know that. The more you pester her, the more it's going to hurt."

"Stop talking about me like I'm not here!" Elphaba snapped.

"I'm just trying to help." Fiyero put a hand on her shoulder.

She rolled her eyes, but did not brush him off. "I can make my own choices, Fiyero."

"I know that, Fae."

Glinda sniffed affectedly. "I just want my best friend with me, that's all."

Elphaba's face changed a little at that. "But Glinda, it's not all about you, or about me, or Fiyero, or any of us. It's about the principle of the matter. That man is evil. Seriously, Glinda, you can't tell me you disagree."

"He's done some questionable things, Elphie. But there's not enough context to really decide if he's completely evil."

"Context? You need context for Dr. Dillamond's throat getting slashed in his lab while he worked to help his own kind?" Elphaba demanded, voice rising.

"That's not what I meant."

"Then what do you mean, Glinda? Or do you even care?"

"Of course I care! How dare you say something like that? I'm not heartless!"

"Then why are you even considering this? Why don't you see it? Because _you don't want to_. You are too intoxicated by the offer he gave us to realize what he's doing."

"And if we don't take it, Elphie, tell me, how do we change things? You think turning him down won't make him suspicious?"

"I don't know. I don't care! I care about what's happening in Oz, the discrimination, the _murders_."

"Well, you won't be able to change any of it if he decides he doesn't trust you and sends you straight to Southstairs!"

"You don't get it, do you?"

"Okay, okay," Fiyero got between the two girls, who were inches away from each other. "I think it might be time for Elphaba to go to my room for the weekend…"

Elphaba grabbed her bag, still glaring at her roommate. "I think it is."

Fiyero gave Glinda and apologetic look and shut the door behind the two of them. "Fae, you can't let her get to you. She just wants you to be happy."

"What she wants is a best friend to drag around town when she lives in the City."

"It's not just that. She wants _the_ best friend. She wants you. You're her best friend. It scares her to think that you might go in… well, another direction."

"Another direction?" Elphaba cackled. "I like your word choice."

"I just don't want this whole thing ruining your friendship."

They approached the building and Elphaba sighed. "I won't. I'm not really mad at her. I'm mad at the Wizard. She was just there. I'll apologize later."

Fiyero kissed her on the nose as they opened the door to his apartment. "Good. Because I certainly wouldn't want you going back to apologize _now_. I have… other plans."

Elphaba raised her eyebrows. "Oh? What kind of other plans?"

"I think you can guess." He grinned.


	42. Chapter 42: A Sudden Ending

**Chapter Forty-Two: A Sudden Ending**

She loved the feel of his hands, of his body, of his… everything. It seemed like every time they made love it went by much too fast (though at times, she had checked the clock and it had been hours). Everything rushed by her, pleasures shot through her, emotions came to the forefront of her brain… Afterward, though, she was at peace. There was something intoxicating about their lovemaking, something that left her in some sort of mellow high for at least an hour.

He was climbing off of her and kissed her forehead gently. "I love you, Fae."

She smiled up at him, trying to calm the tremors that were still going through her body. "I love you too, Yero."

"Ahem."

She shot up as someone cleared their throat from across the room. Her heart sank and her eyes widened as her gaze fastened on Madame Morrible _and_ Fiyero's parents.

Fiyero was in just as much shock as she was. "What you doing here? Why…?"

"It's Rienna's birthday. We brought her to the City and made a pit stop to come get you so we could all have dinner in the City. I'm glad we didn't bring her up here… Madame Morrible let us in." Fiyero's father's face was flushed. "Do you want to explain?"

"It… it doesn't…"

"It doesn't mean anything," Elphaba spat out. "Prince Fiyero and I were just having sex, your highness. He just wanted sex. That's all."

"Try again. We heard _everything_."

"How long had you been there?" Fiyero demanded, pulling the sheets around Elphaba – though not himself. She wanted to tell him that his reaction was giving away more of how they felt about each other than his words had, but there was no point.

"Just enough time to see what you've been doing and to hear plenty." Fiyero's mother's nose was wrinkled.

Fiyero's father's face darkened even more with anger. "You promised me, Fiyero, you promised me you wouldn't…"

Elphaba swallowed hard.

"Miss Elphaba," Fiyero's mother put a hand on his father's arm, "I suggest you get your things and go… somewhere. Any money that we were paying for your tuition is revoked. And you are no longer welcome at Kiamo Ko."

"Mother, Father, wait! Please, there are things you don't understand. Elphaba's going to be a delegate to the Wizard. He asked her himself."

"Is this true?" Fiyero's father asked her.

"I… I haven't yet accepted…"

"That's wonderful for you, but it doesn't make a difference. Fiyero, you knew the rules. I told you to do what you wanted, but I specifically told you _not_ to sleep with her. I asked you not to have any emotional connection with her whatsoever. And here you are, whispering how much you love her. Leave, Miss Elphaba."

Elphaba hadn't really thought that the Wizard's proposition would change anything, but it broke her heart to know that it didn't at all. She climbed out of the bed, threw her clothes back on and began to leave.

"Fae, no, please don't. Mother, Father, please don't do this. I love her." Fiyero protested.

Elphaba looked at him, saw the despair in his eyes and blinked back her own tears. Nothing he said was going to change their minds; they both knew that. She mouthed "I love you, too," and walked out the door.

"I want you out of that room within half an hour," Madame Morrible called from behind her. She could swear she heard the old woman smiling in her voice.

Glinda wasn't there when she got there. She wanted to stop and to think, but there was no time. Instead, she threw all of her things in her meager suitcase, books and all. There was barely any time left, and Glinda hadn't come back. She realized then that she wouldn't get to say goodbye. Elphaba pulled out a piece of paper. "They caught us. I will miss you. Goodbye." She threw the note on her best friend's bed and left, blinking back more tears.

She knew where she was going – the City. The Wizard would never take her on as a delegate if she didn't finish Shiz, but that didn't much matter to her anymore. She had other ideas. Elphaba dug through her pockets for the small amount of money Dr. Dillamond had given her (despite how much she'd tried to refuse) for assisting with his research.

Elphaba turned at looked at the building before she walked away. Nessa… she'd never really get to bond with her sister. She supposed it was for the best; she didn't need all the complications that came with family, not with where she was going, what she wanted to do. She wondered what Glinda would tell Nessa when she asked what had happened. She shook her head. She had to stop this line of thought. Instead, she hailed a carriage, a shared carriage. She couldn't let her money run out too quickly. Inside were a small family also headed to the City on a vacation weekend. It was crowded, and the children were screaming, but she didn't care. And she didn't look back.

She was quiet the whole ride, despite the stares the family gave her (children and parents alike). It finally gave her a moment to think (as much as she could through the shrieking kids). She wouldn't cry, not here, not at all. Elphaba had always thought that her goodbyes with Fiyero would've been a little less sudden. She'd hoped they'd have time to really talk, to make love one last time (though she supposed they had). But that hadn't been how it worked in the end. She should've figured it wouldn't be so simple.

She tried to block out thoughts of Fiyero, of Glinda, and focus on the task ahead. Once she arrived in the City, she had people to look for.

**AN: Okay, before you all get upset, this IS NOT THE ENDING. There are a few more chapters. I'm adding them right now, because it was unfair of me to wait so long to post this. I apologize for that and I hope you don't hate me! I haven't been myself as of late. Anyway, hope you like the rest of the story.**


	43. Chapter 43: A Narrow Escape

**Chapter Forty-Three: A Narrow Escape**

Fiyero got up and began to leave the room.

"Where are you going?" Sarima was still awake. He had hoped she wouldn't be.

He looked at her and felt guilty. They'd been married that night, but still, they hadn't consummated. He'd come into the room and she'd been naked. But he couldn't… She had offered to help, told him (as she'd probably been coached) that it happens and she wasn't upset. They could try tomorrow night. But he knew now he had no intention of that.

The moment Elphaba had run from the room, his parents had packed his things and dragged him back to Kiamo Ko, pulling him out of Shiz. Three days later, he was getting married. Fiyero thought he could go through with it for his parents, for his family, but when he had walked into the bedroom that night and looked at her…

She was beautiful, by Vinkun standards. She was downright lovely. But he did not feel anything. So, finally, he turned to her. "I am not feeling well. I think I am going to sleep in another room. I don't want to be throwing up in our marriage bed."

"Do you think that's why you couldn't…?"

He nodded quickly. "This way the servants can tend to me and you can sleep in peace."

"I hope you feel better," she murmured.

"Thank you."

He knew what he was about to do. He went back to the bedroom that had been his. His things had not yet been moved. He grabbed one bag. He threw clothes and every piece of gold and money he owned into the bag. The castle was dark and he left the room and went down towards the stables.

It wasn't worth it. He couldn't stay here and do as his parents wished, not like this. He loved his parents, his siblings, but Elphaba mattered more. He was grown now. This was the kind of love that mattered to him. He couldn't love anyone else.

He fed his horse a few sugar cubes and vegetables that sat outside the stall before he mounted up. Sarima could remarry. They had never consummated, so his father could have the marriage annulled and she could marry some village boy. Sure, she'd be sad she'd lost a Prince, but it wasn't like she'd really cared about _him_, anyway.

As his parents had thrown his things into suitcases (glaring at him when they found two days' worth of Elphaba's clothes in one of his drawers), he begged and pleaded. It didn't matter what he said, how much he loved her, his parents did not care. They made an arrangement, and nothing would change that. By the time they got to the carriage to head back to the Vinkus, he'd gone hoarse from yelling and begging. He said nothing the whole two days.

And just that morning, his parents had merely told him that his marriage was to be today and sent him with his servants to prepare. As they dressed him and bathed him, he tried hard to think, but nothing would come. It was too fast. It wasn't until he'd stepped into that bedroom that he'd known what he had to do. Well, somewhat.

He didn't know exactly how to find her, or where she'd gone. But he knew what his first stop was going to be. He rode almost non-stop to Shiz. His horse was exhausted and he left it at a stables to get some rest while he did what he needed to do.

He went to Glinda's room immediately. To his surprise, Nanny answered the door, looking confused. "What are you doing here?"

"What are you doing here?"

"I live here. Glinda needed an Ama and she and Nessarose were friends, so when Elphaba left… and you…"

"I need to speak with Glinda. Now."

Glinda squeezed into the doorway. "I'm right here. Fiyero, what happened?"

He looked at Nanny, and Nessarose now peering at him. "Can we talk somewhere else?"

"Let's walk over to Suicide Canal."

"Wait. I want to know what happened. She's my _sister_." Nessarose demanded.

Fiyero sighed and stepped into the room. "Fine."

"So…?" Glinda said, waving him towards the chair that used to be Elphaba's.

"So we were in my apartment, like usual, and my parents came in."

"They came in and she was there… so what?" Nessa asked.

Fiyero bit his lip. "So we were naked, Nessa. And I was telling her that I loved her."

Nessarose's cheek darkened. "Oh."

"And then my parents revoked her tuition and sent her packing. She had only a few minutes to get out. She didn't tell you this, Glinda?"

Glinda's eyes teared up. "No. I wasn't here. I was mad, so I went to Pfanee and Shen-Shen's."

"I'm sorry."

"She left a note. But it just said you guys got caught and that she'd miss me. I had no idea… The next day, both of you were gone."

"They pulled me out of here as fast as they could. Listen, Glinda, I don't have time to talk about this or explain more. Where did she go?"

"You think she told me?"

Fiyero's heart sank. "I guess not. But I thought maybe you'd have an idea."

"I do."

Fiyero looked at her, hopefully, "And?"

"The City. You should know that. You know what she'd be doing, too."

Looking for the Resistance. Of course. "I have to go."

"Fiyero…"

"What?"

"Tell her I'm sorry, and that I miss her, too." Glinda wrapped him in a hug so tight he could barely breathe. "And take care of her."

"I will."

It was only half a day's journey to the City then, so he mounted back up, despite the warnings from the stablemaster that his horse might need more rest. He'd get more rest when he reached the City. The horse looked ready to collapse by then, but he made it. Again, he left his horse at a local stables.

It was late, so he found a cheap motel and got some rest. He would spend the next day looking for her.

She was looking for some sort of rebellion. He did not know the first place to go or who to ask, but he thought that he wouldn't find what he was searching for near the Palace. So he strayed towards the seedier side of the City, the side of the City that the Palace didn't want people to see.

He had been walking for hours when suddenly he saw a flash of green dart by across the street, pursued by what looked to be the Gale Force. Fiyero couldn't be sure it was Elphaba, but it was the best lead he had, so he went after them. Several blocks down, the flash of green he'd seen tripped over a small child in the street and was advanced on by the guards, both of whom were carrying spears. Fiyero ran faster and hid behind an empty box to get a closer look.

It _was_ Elphaba; he bit back a gasp. Her clothes were torn and she was wearing some sort of blanket (a very dirty blanket) as a shawl. She stared up at the guards with fear in her eyes, but also with rebellion.

"Girl! What were you doing with this?" To Fiyero's shock, the guard took a gun from beneath the blanket wrapped around Elphaba's shoulders.

Elphaba swallowed hard. "This is a tough part of town. I was protecting myself!"

"We chased you from a procession outside the Palace! Madame Morrible was being honored. She seemed to recognize you when she saw you take off running as we got close."

"I…"

The other guard piped in. "I think she needs to be taken to Southstairs and scheduled for execution."

Fiyero came out from behind his box and surprised the first guard with a brick to the head. The other guard whirled on him, missed his stomach but hit his forearm. From behind the other guard, Elphaba kicked her feet out and tripped the guard. Fiyero held the brick over the guard's head.

"Please, sir, don't!" The guard was looking from Fiyero to his friend, who was bleeding severely from his head, possibly dying.

Fiyero lowered the brick but took the gun that the guard had confiscated and held it steady. "We're getting out of here." He pushed Elphaba behind him and backed away and around the corner. From there, he grabbed her hand and ran.

After several blocks, Elphaba pulled him into an abandoned building. "Fiyero, sweet Oz! What are you doing here?"

"I couldn't do it, Fae. I couldn't live without you." He grabbed her hand.

"You're an idiot! I left so you could have your life. Please, go back." Elphaba turned away.

He paused for a moment. "I can't."

She looked at him skeptically. "Your parents will forgive you. Don't act like this."

"I'm not talking about my parents. Fae, that guard saw me. Only noble Vinkuns get shapes tattooed on their skin. It won't take long for them to figure out who I was. If I go back, it could start a war. The Wizard would never allow me to become King out there. He'd send an army!"

Elphaba looked at him, shaking. "Well, what do we do, then? We can't stay here! The two of us would attract too much attention."

"Then we'll leave."

"And go where?" Elphaba sighed.

"I don't know."

They were both silent for a moment. "Wait. I have an idea," Elphaba said. "When I was sent out to the Vinkus, I was in a caravan. Some of the people were headed out of Oz. There were caravans headed other directions, too."

Fiyero nodded, slowly. "Can you go back to the mauntery and ask?"

"I could try…"


	44. Epilogue: On the Way Out

**Epilogue: No Time for Goodbye**

Elphaba sat inside the wagon, blankets covering her body. She stared out at the rain as the sun set. She shivered and wondered if they were out of Oz yet.

Fiyero clambered back into the small shelter, shaking the water from his body and drying himself with a ratty towel. "I did my hunting for the day."

It was everyone's job to contribute something. Fiyero used his hunting skills and Elphaba used her magic. But Elphaba couldn't always help when it rained, so Fiyero had to do extra work occasionally. "That's good."

"We're nearing the border. I heard them talking about it. We're almost safe."

Elphaba didn't believe the word "safe" quite fit. "Safe from what? We don't even know what's out there."

"There's a community of exiles just past the border. That's all we need to know."

"What if those exiles are just as bad as the Wizard?" Elphaba didn't trust society, any form of it.

"Then we'll find something else." Fiyero took her hands; his were so cold. "Fae, we're going to be okay, together."

"I never got to say goodbye to Glinda… or Nessa," she whispered.

"And I never got to say goodbye to any of my family."

"Do you wish you'd stayed?"

He looked her in the eyes and squeezed her hands. "Not at all."

And for that moment, that was enough.

**AN: I wanted a slightly less happy-go-lucky ending, but I wanted them to stay together. And this is what I decided on. It's a little musical-esque, but what other options did they have?**


End file.
